Thailand Extradites A Suspect In Illegal Gambling Operations To China

BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand on Wednesday extradited a Chinese man wanted by Beijing on suspicion of running over 200 illegal online gaming operations.


A Thai appeals court on Monday authorized sending She Zhijiang back to China, more than three years after his arrest in Bangkok on a 2014 warrant from Chinese police. He landed in Nanjing, according to the main Xinhua news agency.


"Chinese authorities made a demand for the suspect, who ´ s their top concern, and asked Thailand for cooperation, which we have supported," said cops Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, chief of Thailand ´ s Central Investigation Bureau. He added that China guaranteed it will raise joint efforts with Thailand to split down on rip-off centers.


She, a Chinese national believed to be 43 years of ages, likewise gotten Cambodian citizenship in 2017, and was active in Southeast Asian nations. He ended up being popular after developing a complex in Myanmar ´ s Shwe Kokko city, near the Thai border, that is now infamous for online fraud activities and human trafficking.


China ´ s Ministry of Public Security stated he ´ s desired for running betting sites that have actually involved 330,000 people considering that 2017, with deals exceeding 2.7 billion yuan ($380 million), while harboring 248 online fraud groups targeting Chinese people, according to Xinhua.


The U.S. and British governments enforced sanctions on She for his alleged criminal activities.


A 2024 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime stated She "is known to have a robust business and investment portfolio throughout Southeast Asia, and particularly Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, covering throughout industries including realty, construction, entertainment, and blockchain innovation."


Cybercrime has grown in Southeast Asia, where law enforcement is weak, especially in Cambodia and Myanmar. Casinos frequently worked as centers for online criminal activity, including rip-offs, after the COVID-19 pandemic hampered in-person gambling.


Governments across the world have started to do something about it versus the sprawling industry. On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury department revealed sanctions versus the leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army for their role in supporting the scam centers. The ethnic militia group is linked to rip-off centers in Myanmar, just near Myawaddy, where She operated.


In action to Monday ´ s court ruling, a representative for She's company, called Yatai New City and sometimes Asia-Pacific New City, referred to a previous that stated "while Mr. She Zhijiang was involved in the gambling market, these activities were conducted under a legally gotten license in their operating jurisdiction, and were not concealed illegal business." It stated his function "is strictly that of a designer."


She Zhijiang, a supposed transnational crime kingpin implicated by Beijing of having actually run unlawful online gaming operations, is escorted by police at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand's Samut Prakarn province ahead of being extradited to China, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)