I have returned to my home country! The latest statement from the Chinese Academy of Sciences PhD trapped in Myanmar
On the evening of September 11th, the Weibo account "Dubitabam" stated that he was Dr. Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who was previously trapped in Myanmar, and had returned to China on September 5th. On September 12th, Zhang's girlfriend confirmed to Pengpai News that the account was indeed Zhang himself and had returned to China. Currently, the person is in Xi'an.
Zhang posted on Weibo stating that he had returned to China on September 5th. After returning to China, due to cooperation in investigations and personal illness and discomfort, I have been unable to speak up. In a responsible attitude towards the public and myself, I will explain some of the issues that everyone is concerned about in the future.
On the 12th, he once again posted on Weibo: The incident occurred in Miaowadi, located in the southeast of Myanmar, only separated from Thailand by a small river and far from the rumored northern part of Myanmar. Due to not bordering China, it is extremely difficult for the Chinese side to enter the area, and the fraud patterns and targets here are also vastly different from those in northern Myanmar. Due to the notorious fraud in Myanmar, when recruiting in the park, Thai jobs are often used as bait to avoid mentioning Myanmar.
Previously reported
According to a previous report by Pengpai News, Zhang's girlfriend claimed that in 2022, Zhang, who was doing scientific research at a botanical garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, owed some debt due to currency speculation and wanted to work as a translator in Southeast Asia to earn money and repay the debt before getting married. Zhang arrived in Bangkok from Xiamen via Hong Kong, then transferred to the Mekong River on the Thai Myanmar border and took a car to Myawady, Myanmar. When he realized something was wrong, he had already lost his freedom. He once told his girlfriend that he was forced to play a certain character and chat with foreigners to commit fraud. He must sign a one-year contract with the other party before he can be released.
During the period of being trapped, Zhang gradually contacted his family. In May this year, Zhang sent a message asking his family to raise a ransom, but their account was frozen during the transfer process. Subsequently, Zhang's family reported to the police. This matter has attracted high attention.
Regarding the legal issues that Zhang may face after returning to China, Deng Xiangrui, a criminal defense lawyer and associate professor at the Law School of Hunan University, previously mentioned that according to relevant provisions of China's criminal law, Chinese citizens who commit crimes under China's criminal law overseas shall be convicted and punished under China's criminal law. If Zhang was indeed forced to participate in fraudulent activities and falls under the category of accomplices to the crime of fraud under the Criminal Law of China, the punishment should be reduced or exempted according to the severity of the crime.
