Li Xin

Li Xin formerly a website editor for a Chinese media group called Southern Metropolis Daily, is a pro-democracy campaigner and rights activist. Li disappeared on a train from Bangkok to the northeastern border town of Nong Khai in Thailand on 11 January 2016 after he leaked confidential documents detailing Communist Party propaganda efforts. About a month later, He Fangmei, Li's wife, said she received a phone call from Li on 3 February, and was told that he had voluntarily come back to Mainland China to meet with investigators.

Background In 2007, Li set up a website called Civil Society, which advocated for human rights in China.

In 2008, Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese human rights activist and winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, and others co-authored a manifesto called Charter 08, calling for human rights, freedom of the press and democracy in China. Li was among the 6th group of people who signed the charter.

From 2010 to 2012, Li studied international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, during which time he was invited to write editorials on Chinese politics by the government of Taiwan.

After arriving in India, Li made public several purported lists from government of sources and topics off limits to journalists in China, giving a glimpse at the operation of the regime's extensive propaganda machinery.

Li tried unsuccessfully for several months to claim political asylum from the Indian government. However his applications were rejected, as India does not accept asylum applications from Chinese nationals. Li also applied for a visa to the United States, but was rejected by the U.S. embassy in New Delhi.

The next day, around 7:40 am, his wife reported losing contact with him on the instant messaging app they used to communicate.

Li told his wife that he came back to China to voluntarily help police with their investigations and that she should not talk to international media. Li refused to say where he was and asked his wife not to ask any questions. It is still unclear how Li returned to China, but his wife did not believe Li came back voluntarily.

On 3 February, The New York Times reported on He Fangmei's conversation with Li in China. The article cited a spokesman for the Thai foreign ministry saying there was no "record as yet as to whether he has left the country," and that "there is no indication whatsoever that Mr. Li Xin was abducted from Thailand."

Other Chinese Activists ‘Disappeared’ in Thailand Li's disappearance in Thailand is the fourth such instance of Chinese dissidents being captured in the country since October 2015.

On 28 October 2015, two Chinese human rights activists, Dong Guangping and Jiang Yefei were arrested in Bangkok and handed over to Chinese authorities, despite being recognized as refugees by the United Nations.

International response Major news agencies, such as CNN, BBC, Time, The Guardian, and Radio Free Asia have covered the story of Li's disappearance and re-emergence in Thailand.

The European Union, United States and the United Kingdom have expressed their concerns about the disappearances of Li and other Chinese dissidents in China.