Thailand Claims It Didn’t Mistreat Gambling Tycoon Facing Extradition

Thailand has rejected accusations of mistreating She Zhijiang, a gambling tycoon detained in Bangkok and fighting extradition to China on allegations of running illegal online gambling operations across Southeast Asia.

China-born She, who claims the charges are politically motivated, alleged in a letter from his lawyers to Interpol that he has endured “inhumane treatment” in Thai prison, including acts of violence that have left him unable to stand.

Justice Minister Firmly Denies Torture Claims

“Our conduct towards him is like others [inmates] with regular access to lawyers,” stated Thai Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong during a press briefing in Bangkok. 

Tawee also noted the presence of security cameras in prisons to prevent abuse or torture, firmly denying any mistreatment of the man behind the well-known Shwe Kokko complex located in Myanmar.

However, the minister did not directly address a specific claim in the same letter that said Chinese embassy officials visited She in prison without his consent to try to pressure him to go back to China.

Arrested in Bangkok in 2022 on an international warrant and Interpol red notice sought by Beijing, She has since been embroiled in a legal battle against extradition. 

While a Thai court approved his extradition to China in 2023, She is appealing the decision.

Complicating matters further, Cambodia has also filed an extradition request for She, also who holds Cambodian citizenship. 

Minister Sodsong stated that Thailand’s Appeal Court will determine the final decision on She’s extradition.

She Zhijiang is reportedly the chairman of Yatai International Holdings Group, a company involved in gambling investments in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. 

The casino, entertainment, and tourism complex Shwe Kokko is valued at $15 billion. 

In a statement to Reuters, China’s Foreign Ministry described She as a Chinese national and a “key figure in online gambling and telecom fraud crimes,” emphasizing that the evidence against him was “conclusive.”

The case underscores the rising concern over cross-border criminal networks in Southeast Asia, particularly in the border regions of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. 

The United Nations reports that these areas have become hubs for telecom and online scams since the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of thousands of people trafficked to work in fraudulent operations.

Earlier this week, the Beijing police announced they detained a suspect in the case of a Chinese actor who was deceived into traveling to Thailand for an alleged film job and then trafficked to Myanmar, according to China’s Public Security Ministry.