Chinese Livestreamer Disappears in Bangkok, Then a $90,000 Ransom Demand Comes From Myanmar Chinese livestreamer Wang Ran, 24, flew from Nanjing to Bangkok on September 12 for what her family says was a work trip arranged by an online acquaintance. A friend later received a video showing Wang eating with at least six others at a restaurant in Thailand. Later that same day, she disappeared from contact. By the next day, her parents were on a video call with Wang. She appeared disoriented, surrounded by black plastic sheeting, and asked them to send 600,000 yuan, nearly $90,000. Four days later, the family received a threat. “If you fail to pay by September 20... Your child will be transferred to other people and places or sold to a clubhouse.” A friend eventually reached Wang by phone. Wang told her she was being held for ransom in Myanmar. Nanjing anti-fraud police have confirmed receiving her father’s report. What happened between that restaurant in Thailand and Wang later saying she was being held in Myanmar remains unclear.

Thai media are hungry for a Cambodia scare story and decided to completely mischaracterize an unchanged U.S. State Department travel advisory. Amarin somehow turned it into “U.S. warns tourists: do not go to Cambodia.” Manager Online went with “Dangerous territory!” TOP News simply screams “Danger!” The actual advisory is UNCHANGED and remains at Level 2. The “Do Not Travel” warning is for areas within 50 km of the Thai border because of the Cambodia-Thailand conflict. And Phnom Penh crime? This is the typical overly cautious State Department due diligence, not some new warning that tourists should stay away. If this is the game Thai media want to play, maybe the State Department should issue a special Pattaya warning. Take every robbery, scam and ugly crime story there and run “DANGEROUS THAILAND!” across the top. Same standard.