Shanghai Music Teacher Missing in Thailand Returns Home Safely

A Shanghai music teacher who went missing in Thailand in late September has returned safely to Shanghai, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand said yesterday.

An embassy spokesperson told Xinhua News Agency on October 7 that the teacher had arrived back in the city recently. The embassy did not say where he had been or how he was located.

The 33-year-old, surnamed Wang, teaches music at an international bilingual school in Shanghai. Chinese media reported earlier that he flew alone from Pudong International Airport to Bangkok after work on September 24 without telling family or friends the purpose of his trip.

He was still sending WeChat messages during the day on September 25, the Mid-Autumn Festival, but friends could not reach him that evening, and his phone stayed switched off afterward. His family said police told them the phone's IP address had twice appeared in Myanmar's Kayin State, also known as Karen State, on September 26 and 27, and that police suspected he had been lured out of the country.

His school said he did not return to work after the holiday, and his family reported him missing to police. On October 2, the embassy said it had received requests for help, notified Thai police and urged them to find him as soon as possible.

The case drew wide attention online in China. The Thailand-Myanmar border region has become associated with telecom fraud compounds that lure foreigners with promises of well-paid work.

In its statement yesterday, the embassy again reminded Chinese citizens traveling to Thailand to stay alert. It warned them not to trust promises of high-paying jobs or business invitations through informal channels, to check the motives of strangers and even acquaintances who invite them somewhere, and to avoid getting into vehicles driven by people they do not know.

"Be responsible for yourself and your family," the embassy said, urging travelers not to act on impulse or believe empty promises that leave relatives worried.