Thai court approves Chinese businessman extradition over scam charges
3 Min Read
A Thai appeals court has ordered the extradition of She Zhijiang to China over his role in Shwe Kokko’s scam hub, as Beijing cracks down on cross-border crime.
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The KK Park complex in Kayin State’s Myawaddy Township, seen from Thailand on September 17, 2025. (AFP)
A Thai appeals court has ruled that Chinese businessman She Zhijiang, who is accused of running a major transnational scam operation, will be extradited to China within 90 days to face criminal charges. The decision ends a prolonged legal battle that began after his arrest in Thailand in 2022.
She, 43, is the alleged mastermind behind operations at Shwe Kokko, a notorious scam hub on the Thai-Myanmar border, and has been wanted by Chinese authorities since 2012. According to Chinese media and Interpol records, he faces charges related to online gambling and large-scale fraud.
He holds Cambodian citizenship and had previously denied any criminal wrongdoing, describing his business ventures as legitimate urban development projects.
Read more: Freed scam compound workers recount horrific abuse: The Guardian
Shwe Kokko scam hub linked to global criminal activity
Shwe Kokko has gained notoriety as one of the largest fraud compounds in Southeast Asia. Built near the Thai border, the heavily developed city has become a base for operations involving romance and business scams, often targeting internet users worldwide. Many of the workers in these so-called “fraud factories” are Chinese nationals.
A 2021 Interpol red notice obtained by AFP outlines the charges against She, while a US Treasury statement from September labeled Shwe Kokko as a “resort city custom-built for gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution, and scams targeting people around the world.”
She Zhijiang’s company, Yatai International Holdings, which oversaw development projects in Shwe Kokko, has been sanctioned by both the United States and the United Kingdom.
US authorities allege that the project served as a cover for a wide range of criminal activity, including online fraud operations, while She has continued to assert that Yatai is focused solely on urban construction and investment.
China intensifies online scam crackdown across the region
The She Zhijiang extradition ruling comes amid China’s broader crackdown on online scams and criminal networks operating out of poorly governed regions in Myanmar.
Earlier this month, Chinese courts sentenced five individuals to death for their roles in a violent fraud syndicate in Myanmar’s Kokang region. Beijing has been pushing neighboring countries, including Thailand and Myanmar, to dismantle scam hubs that have thrived in lawless border areas, often under the protection of local militias or corrupt officials.
In letters written from Bangkok prison and obtained by AFP, She denied all charges, saying he is the victim of a political campaign and insisted his work was legal. “My company was simply an urban developer,” he wrote.
Despite these claims, the court ruled that China’s extradition request was valid under Thai law, and that She should be returned to China within 90 days to face trial.
