Authorities in northern Laos raided more scam operation centers in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, arresting 60 Lao and Chinese nationals one day after a government-imposed deadline for every illegal call center in the zone to close.
Some 250 police officers and other officials participated in Monday’s raids on 16 centers, a police officer told Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity to speak freely about a government matter.
The raids will go on until all online scamming activities have been stopped in the zone, he said.
“The operation will continue for many days,” he said. “They are working to wipe them out from here as there are still some people conducting tele frauds.”
The zone along the Mekong River in Bokeo province has been a gambling and tourism hub catering to Chinese visitors, as well as a haven for online fraud, human trafficking, prostitution and illegal drug activities.
Scamming operations run by Chinese nationals who try to trick people into fake investments have been rife in the zone. Many of the workers are mistreated and prevented from leaving the premises.
‘Very quiet these days’
The Lao government announced an Aug. 25 closure deadline following an Aug. 9 meeting between the Bokeo provincial governor, high-ranking officials from the Lao Ministry of Public Security and Zhao Wei, the chairman of the Golden Triangle SEZ.
Joint raids with Chinese authorities began on Aug. 12, according to the ministry’s website.
Last week, the ministry said that 771 people had been detained in the raids, including Vietnamese and Chinese nationals who have since been deported.
The zone’s major casino, the Kings Romans, remains open, a Lao employee working for a company in the zone told RFA on Wednesday.
But nearby buildings unassociated with the casino appear to be empty, according to the Lao worker.
“It looks very quiet these days, since the beginning of the operation,” he said. “The police force has checked all the buildings.”
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The worker said he watched as people prepared to leave the zone ahead of Monday’s raids.
“I heard that some of them have fled to Vientiane or Cambodia,” he said.
Restaurant servers and other people who worked regular jobs outside of the scam centers have also been leaving the area, the owner of a guesthouse near the zone told RFA.
“Many of them, the Lao workers, are from Vientiane and other southern provinces,” the owner said. “The majority of them are returning to their hometowns now.”
Translated by Phouvong. Edited by Matt Reed.