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Zhao Ziwen

Two Chinese diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia have issued warnings urging citizens to stay away from gambling following two deaths allegedly linked to financial losses.
The Chinese consulate in Da Nang, Vietnam said in a statement on Monday that cross-border gambling was a criminal offence in China and citizens found to be involved would be “held legally accountable in accordance with the law”.
It also warned that consular protection could not be provided to a Chinese citizen under threat because of gambling activities overseas.
The consulate cited the case of a Chinese national who fell to his death from a hotel in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Vietnamese media outlet Zing News earlier reported that a Chinese man had taken his own life at a hotel in the city in late December. The report quoted local police as saying the man had shown “clear signs of emotional distress after suffering gambling losses”.
The Vietnamese mission’s warning followed a similar statement from the Chinese embassy in Singapore on Saturday.
The Singapore embassy issued a “solemn reminder” after a Chinese citizen allegedly fell to his death at the Marina Bay Sands hotel after gambling.
The statement said the embassy had handled “several” deaths related to gambling, without giving further details.
The two diplomatic missions also encouraged people to report Chinese citizens who ran or engaged in casino activities overseas.


Gambling is illegal in China and that also extends to gambling overseas in places where the industry is legal, such as the tourist hubs of Southeast Asia.
Beijing has in recent years conducted a sweeping crackdown on gambling activities – and operations involving its citizens – especially in Cambodia and Myanmar.
China has urged Cambodia to clamp down on scam networks, with the embassy in Phnom Penh issuing a rare diplomatic warning to the country last month.
Broader measures include the arrest and extradition from Cambodia of alleged fraud kingpin Chen Zhi in January. And in northern Myanmar, the Bai family crime syndicate that operated scam centres has been targeted with arrests, extraditions and executions. There have been thousands of arrests in Cambodia related to the campaign, many of them Chinese nationals.
The two warnings came as Chinese are travelling overseas for the Lunar New Year holiday, with Southeast Asia a top destination.
Many Chinese tourists are avoiding last year’s No 1 holiday spot – Japan – amid a diplomatic row between the two nations.
Last year’s top 10 list for Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year break included five Southeast Asian nations – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia, according to online travel giant Trip.com. Of those, Indonesia is the only nation where gambling is banned.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling


Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling.


Chinese missions in Vietnam and Singapore warn citizens to stay away from gambling

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling

Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling