A missing Chinese woman at the centre of a widely discussed disappearance case in Thailand has posted on social media claiming she has safely returned to China, though the post has drawn scepticism online due to signs it may have been altered.
The woman had been out of contact in Thailand for more than a week before the post appeared on August 12. Qi Meng, 24, first travelled abroad on August 2, flying from Malaysia to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, according to reports.
After leaving the airport, she is reported to have accepted a ride from a stranger who offered to drive her to Chiang Mai. She lost contact with friends and family shortly after getting into the vehicle, according to an account from a friend who spoke on a livestream.
The Chinese embassy in Thailand said on August 11 that it had been contacted by Qi Meng’s family and had briefed them on the procedures and requirements involved in filing a case with Thai police. The embassy said it would continue coordinating closely with the family.
International coverage of the case said Qi Meng’s family had been hospitalised due to the stress of the search, and that friends had raised the possibility of ransom negotiations, though no verified details of any such demand have been made public.
In the August 12 post, an account believed to belong to Qi Meng said she had lost contact earlier because her phone had gone missing, and thanked followers for their concern.
The post’s IP location displayed as Beijing Capital International Airport, with an attached photo carrying a watermark stating the same location and a timestamp of 10.55am on August 12.
The post drew scepticism from many social media users after they noticed the caption had been edited multiple times, including a change in how she was referred to, from “qm” to “Xiao Meng,” and that some comments had been removed.
This led to speculation about whether the account may have been accessed or controlled by someone other than Qi Meng.
As of the evening of August 12, there had been no real-time video appearance, no official confirmation from relatives, and no independently verifiable travel record confirming her return to China.
Separately, Mothership.sg reported that some of the earlier posts appealing for help in the case had been traced to an IP address in Cambodia rather than China, adding to the confusion around the case.
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