The Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver a decision next week on whether to extradite to China a Chinese gambling kingpin and a major investor in the gambling empire in Shwe Kokko in Karen state of Myanmar, to face criminal charges.
The Chinese tycoon, She Zhijiang, is currently being held at Klong Prem central prison in Bangkok, pending the outcome of his appeal contesting the constitutionality of the Criminal Court’s extradition ruling.
She Zhijiang has been blacklisted by both the United States and Britain for his alleged involvement in drug and human trafficking and other illegal business transactions. Interpol issued a Red Notice for his arrest in May 2021, on charges of public fraud through online gambling.
He was arrested by Thai police on August 12th, 2022, in Bangkok. On May 25th, 2023, the Criminal Court ordered him to be extradited to China to face charges of operating online gambling.
According to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the suspect’s Yatai International Holding Group, in collaboration with a company owned by Karen warlord Colonel Saw Chit Thu, invested about 525 billion baht in building the Shwe Kokko town in Myanmar.
The town has subsequently gained a reputation as a major hub of transnational online scam operations, human trafficking and money laundering.
In February this year, Thailand, China and Myanmar pressured the Karen militia to crack down on scam operations in Shwe Kokko, which saw more than 7,000 non-Burmese citizens working in call centres being released. Thailand also cut internet and power supplies to Shwe Kokko, affecting the illegal business activities.
The Irrawaddy online news outlet reports, however, that the city is now back in business and booming again, thanks to Elon Musk’s ‘Starlink’ satellite internet service.
