Liu Xiuhong, 38, from Mianzhu in Sichuan Province, spent 79 days held in a scam compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar. On August 26, 2026, he walked free at the Mae Sot border crossing into Thailand, after his family paid a ransom of 300,000 yuan (about $42,000) through a third-party escrow. The person who brought him home was his sister, Liu Shuang, who refused to wait — and refused to pay the gang directly.
A friend of more than ten years turned out to be among those who sold him into captivity. Fortunately, his sister’s determination brought him home.
The Trap: A Business Trip That Wasn’t
Liu thought he was heading to Bangkok to collect an outstanding business payment. The invitation came from a friend he had known for more than a decade, and he trusted him enough to board a flight to Thailand. On June 9, he flew from Guangzhou to Bangkok.
But before setting off, Liu took one small precaution. He recorded a six-second video showing the front of the vehicle, its license plate and the driver’s face, then sent it to his girlfriend. He had no idea that those six seconds would later become a crucial breakthrough in the search for him.
After arriving in Bangkok and transferring to another vehicle, Liu was surrounded by men carrying guns and knives. He was forcibly taken across the border into Myanmar and brought to a scam compound in Myawaddy, where he was forced to memorize hundreds of pages of scripted scam conversations. Beatings and verbal abuse were part of his daily life.
Image source: Douyin account “刘修洪&姐姐”
A Sister Refuses to Wait
The day after her brother went missing, Liu Shuang reported the case to the police in China. When she learned that he had been taken to Thailand, she refused to sit back and wait.
On June 14, she flew to Bangkok alone. Early on the next working day, she went to the Chinese Embassy in Thailand to submit documents. That afternoon, she visited Thai police stations and the Central Investigation Bureau. When the embassy was closed, she turned to Chinese communities in Thailand, seeking help wherever she could find it.
She repeatedly replayed the six-second video, eventually picking up another voice in the background. This led her to a key lead: a Thai female driver who had allegedly been hired to transport Liu.
As investigators followed the lead, the driver eventually came under pressure and revealed whom she had handed Liu over to that day. The trail gradually led investigators towards the border and, ultimately, in the direction of Myawaddy.
Police in both China and Thailand began taking action. Police in Mianzhu opened a case on suspicion of unlawful detention, while Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau launched an investigation into human trafficking. Cooperation between the two countries’ anti-trafficking authorities continued, alongside growing public attention and pressure.
The Ransom Standoff
In early August, facing mounting pressure, the scam compound finally allowed Liu to speak with his family over the phone. But there was a catch: his captors demanded a ransom of 300,000 yuan (around $42,000).
Liu Shuang did not reject the demand outright. Instead, she made one condition clear: not a single yuan would be transferred directly to the scam compound.
She had heard too many stories of families losing both their money and their loved ones. This time, she insisted that a third party oversee the funds. Under her proposed arrangement, her brother would first be safely handed over to Thai authorities at the Mae Sot border checkpoint. The ransom would only be released at the same time as the handover.
Netizens flooded the comments with words of encouragement for Liu Shuang after hearing the siblings’ story. Image source: Douyin comments.
The two sides remained deadlocked for 10 days. Eventually, facing mounting pressure and weighing the risks, the compound agreed to the arrangement.
Freedom at the Mae Sot Border
On August 26, at the Mae Sot border crossing, Liu Shuang finally saw her brother walk to safety. For 79 days, the two had been separated by a river and an ordeal neither could have imagined.
On September 4, the siblings safely returned to China.
The siblings are finally reunited. Image source: Douyin account “刘修洪&姐姐”
A Warning for Anyone Travelling Abroad
A word of caution to everyone: be especially vigilant when friends or acquaintances invite you overseas for business or ask you to collect payments abroad.
- If you lose contact with someone while they are overseas, report it to the police in China immediately and contact the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate.
The best rescue is the one made unnecessary by caution before the journey even begins.
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