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Read Full BioA gambling kingpin behind “scam city,” Shwe Kokko, in Myanmar, has finally been extradited to his native China following years in a Thai prison. She Zhijiang was arrested in Thailand in 2022 at the request of the Chinese authorities to Interpol.
China accuses She of running illegal online gambling businesses, and this week, a Thai court upheld the decision to extradite him.
He arrived at an airport in Bangkok on Wednesday to board a flight back to China. His company, Yatai, is registered in Hong Kong and has its headquarters in Thailand.
He has been on the run from Chinese authorities since 2014, when he was convicted of running an illegal lottery business in the Philippines that targeted Chinese online users. The scam reportedly generated $298 million in profit.
He has subsequently been accused of running illegal gambling operations in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
She Behind ‘Scam City’ Shwe Kokko
Yatai is behind the development of Shwe Kokko in Myanmar, which features nine casinos designed to attract Chinese citizens who are unable to gamble in their home country. China strictly forbids any forms of gambling and has warned citizens that even gambling at foreign casinos is considered illegal.
The country has been working to return She to the country to face charges of running illegal operations targeting Chinese nationals. A BBC report claims Shwe Kokko, located near the Myanmar-Thai border, is a hub for human trafficking and online scams. Workers are allegedly lured there by fake job offers and held against their will, forced to defraud others online or face brutal punishment.
In 2023, the UK, US, and Canada announced sanctions against She, along with Myanmar military officials, for their links to forced labour schemes in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
When announcing the sanctions, the UK government stated that at least 120,000 people in Myanmar alone are being forced to work for online scam farms operated by She.
Earlier this year, Mariana van Zeller of National Geographic documented how people are smuggled into Shwe Kokko.
Several other news networks have gone undercover to expose the human trafficking and illegal businesses that are run from the city. Despite She being arrested in 2022, the scam centers appear to be continuing to operate.
Tension Over Scam Hub Contributes to Myanmar Coup D’Etat
In 2017, Yatai secured a permit to develop a small-scale housing estate in Shwe Kokko. It expanded beyond the agreement with the government under the oversight of military generals, Colonel Saw Chit Thu and Colonel Saw Min Min Oo.
In 2020, the civilian government established a tribunal to investigate irregularities in the Yatai development project, which successfully halted the project. However, tensions between the government and military escalated, and in 2021, the military staged a coup d’etat.
Under a military government, Shwe Kokko was allowed to expand. She had envisioned creating a $15 billion special economic zone (SEZ), aimed at becoming a playground for Chinese gamblers. The project has been advertised in promotional material that can be viewed online.
China, however, distanced itself from the development and ramped up efforts to bring She back to face charges. The country has also been working to dismantle other online gambling operations. Last month, China Construction Bank helped identify a crime ring that laundered money for online gambling operators.
