TechFlow news — According to a video report by Jiu Pai News, recently a netizen claimed that her PhD friend was lured to Myanmar on August 16, 2022, and has been trapped there for a year. He is forced to work 18 hours per day under strict surveillance.
The PhD's girlfriend, Ms. Yang, said her boyfriend graduated from the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and later worked as a postdoctoral researcher. A year ago, he faced a debt issue amounting to several ten thousand yuan. After being introduced to what he believed was a translation job in Singapore, he was ultimately deceived into going to Myanmar. "He had losses from cryptocurrency trading before, his family's financial situation is modest, and his mother is paralyzed. He saw online that this job offered a very high salary," she said.
After entering the compound, Mr. Zhang messaged his girlfriend saying his own phone was taken away and he could only communicate using someone else's device. Ms. Yang stated that Mr. Zhang’s daily task involved chatting with others online, and the working hours were extremely long.
Ms. Yang added that the group in Myanmar demanded a transfer of 120,000 yuan to release him. However, after attempting the transfer, she found the account frozen and unable to complete the payment. She also learned that her boyfriend was beaten and placed in solitary confinement as a result.
Upon learning of the incident, Mr. Zhang's brother reported it to the police. Staff from the local police station where Mr. Zhang is registered confirmed that the case has been escalated to the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar.
