Thai authorities dismissed reports that a missing Belarusian model was abducted and trafficked from Thailand to Myanmar, and said she left the country voluntarily.
Thai immigration authorities said Vera Kravtsova, who is feared to be dead according to local reports, entered Thailand on 12 September via the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and departed on 20 September on a Thai Airways flight to Yangon in Myanmar.
A biometric check verified it was the same person, disproving claims that she had been abducted, the local Thai outlet MGR Online reported.
The case gained international attention after several media outlets reported that the 26-year-old Belarusian model had been abducted and taken to Myanmar before being extorted for money.
“CCTV footage shows she was not under any coercion, and immigration records confirm she used the self-service ABC (automated border control) gate,” said police major general Cherngron Rimphadee, a spokesperson for the Immigration Bureau.
“The reported brutal incidents happened after the model flew to Myanmar,” he added. “Thai police do not know what happened there as it is outside our authority.”
Last week, Belarusian ambassador to Myanmar, Vladimir Borovikov, urged the public not to believe the rumours about Ms Kravtsova in tabloids. He called the reports of her “murder” in the media “irresponsible”.
“We can only regret the immoral and irresponsible behaviour of individuals spreading false and unchecked information, which only increases the suffering of the relatives,” he was quoted as saying by the Belarusian Telegraph Agency.
The ambassador confirmed that Ms Kravtsova travelled from Bangkok to Yangon on 20 September and said the Belarusian embassy was using official channels to determine her location.
He added that her family last heard from her on 4 October.
The reports of her alleged murder gained traction after Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that a document purportedly issued by Myanmar authorities stated that she died of a heart attack and was cremated on 16 October.
However, the authenticity of the document has not been independently confirmed. Tabloids claimed she had travelled to Thailand in search of work but was abducted and sold into forced labour at a Myanmar scam centre.
Foreign media outlets, including the Daily Mail on 17 October, reported that the model flew to Bangkok last month after receiving a message about a part-time modelling opportunity and attended an interview there.
Another tabloid reported: “She flew to Bangkok for a job interview, but instead of working on the runway, she was taken to Myanmar and turned into a slave.
“Her duties included being beautiful, serving her ‘masters’, and scamming rich people”, The Sun reported, citing Mash outlet.
According to the Nation Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is monitoring global reactions following the reports on the alleged death of Ms Kravtsova.
TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool reportedly expressed concern that online speculation could damage international confidence in Thailand’s tourism safety. She has, the outlet reported, instructed the TAT Moscow Office to swiftly evaluate the situation, track social media discussions, and submit regular reports on developments.
Meanwhile, the agency urged travellers to stay alert and avoid interacting with strangers abroad, and contact local authorities or their embassy immediately if they sense any threat.
The Belarusian ministry of foreign affairs reportedly confirmed that it will offer full diplomatic support to her family to facilitate the repatriation of her remains.
Myanmar’s scam centres, particularly along the Thai border, have rapidly expanded since the 2021 military coup, with compounds like KK Park operating as heavily fortified hubs for transnational online fraud.
Controlled by crime syndicates and allegedly tacitly supported by the military, these complexes use trafficked workers from across Asia and Africa, forcing them to run scams under threats of torture and violence, The Guardian reported last month.
Facilities include luxury housing for managers, on-site hospitals, banks, and internet access via satellites like Starlink, enabling operations despite Thai border restrictions. While some 7,000 victims have been rescued, estimates suggest up to 100,000 remain trapped, enduring brutal conditions, making these centres a major human trafficking and organised crime crisis intertwined with Myanmar’s conflict economy.
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