Story about Chinese 'blood slave' in Cambodia found to be fabricated
The picture used in the extensive coverage of Li as he's under treatment in Bethune Cambodia China First Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Cambodia said on Monday that the story of a Chinese man who was said to be lured to the country by an ad for a high-paying job and had his blood drawn by a fraudulent gang is actually a fabrication.
The embassy had been closely following the extensive coverage of the Chinese man surnamed Li, it said on its official Weibo account.
Cambodian police released its initial investigation of the case and determined the story is untrue.
Li actually smuggled himself into Cambodia and asked a local organization for help because of his poor liver condition. It helped him make up the story that he had been kidnapped and confined by a gang.
Li claimed his blood was drained seven times between June 2021 – when he was abducted to Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the country's second-largest city – and February 2022, when he escaped from the gang, the embassy said in the statement.
The case has been handed over to Cambodia's judicial organizations.
The Chinese embassy said it will continue protecting the legal rights and safety of Chinese and Cambodian people while stepping up efforts to fight telemarketing scams targeting Chinese people.
The statement issued by the Chinese embassy in Cambodia
