Chinese ministry team visits Thailand to seek ways to tackle at least 36 major cyber scam gangs, days ahead of Thai leader’s China trip.

BANGKOK: Thailand, China may set up special centre to combatThailand and China are considering joining hands to set up a special centre to deal with human trafficking issues after a Chinese delegate paid a visit to the Thai-Myanmar border,

Chinese tourists visiting Thailand for Lunar New Year are worried about being kidnapped by gangsters to work in hellish scam centers, despite efforts to reassure them.

Thai businesses are expected to incur up to 1 billion baht ($29.5 million) in losses from China's ban on sugar syrup and premixed powder exports from the Southeast Asian nation, with shipments left stranded in Chinese ports,

International pressure is mounting on Thailand – including from the new US administration – over the fate of dozens of Uyghur men held in detention for more than a decade, following reports the Thai government planned to deport the group to China.

The Thai leader says that the discussions with Xi Jinping will focus on online scamming operations, tourism, and air pollution.

Thailand and China will work together to combat fast-growing networks of illegal call centres along the Thai border with Myanmar and Cambodia, often staffed by trafficked workers, that aim to defraud people in phone and online scams.

Thailand expects to complete its first high-speed rail network linking the country to China through Laos in 2030, a long-delayed project officials have touted as key to furthering bilateral relations and trade between the two nations.

Chuchart Kanpai, a Thai attorney, has petitioned for the release of 42 Uyghur men who have been detained in Thailand for over ten years. The men were arrested on immigration charges in 2013 while escaping alleged persecution in China.

The fate of actor Wang Xing prompted outrage in China after he disappeared and had to be saved from a Myanmar scam center. But Beijing may have ulterior motives for its anti-scamming crackdown.

From climate disasters to political upheavals, Asia faced significant challenges in 2024, leaving a complex legacy for the region. Whether it’s a turning point for collaboration or a deepening of divisions,