This episode of RFA Insider balances vice and virtue, as Amy and Eugene explore the sophisticated scam compounds of Southeast Asia and one internet-famous monk’s march from Vietnam to India.
Off Beat
While online scams are not new – think Nigerian prince emails or “catfishing” – the widespread financial devastation wrought by an investment scam known as “pig butchering” certainly is.
Journalist Abby Seiff from RFA’s Investigative team details how the COVID pandemic, as well as political instability, prompted criminal organizations to repurpose empty casinos in Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand into sophisticated scam centers. Within these centers, scammers foster online friendships or romantic relationships with victims before warming them up to the idea of investing in cryptocurrency. They encourage their victims to invest careful sums, earning their trust through demonstrated returns, before going in for the kill by urging more significant “investments.”
However, many of these scammers are victims themselves. Abby explains how criminal organizations kidnap young people using fake job postings before forcibly putting them to work, and how the kidnapping of a Chinese actor has led to a renewed crackdown on scam centers.
Double Off Beat
“Unofficial monk” Thich Minh Tue is not recognized by the state-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist association, yet lives like a monk would – or should, according to Minh Tue’s massive online following, who compare his humble way of life to the flashy lifestyle flaunted by some senior monks in Vietnam. The online attention drew scrutiny from Vietnamese authorities, who raided his camp and pressured the monk to halt his barefoot journey across the country.
Now, Thich Minh Tue is embarking on a new pilgrimage to India, and is currently passing through Thailand. Vietnamese Service Director Truong Son goes on air to discuss the stark contrast between Vietnamese and Thai authorities’ treatment of the monk and Buddhism in general. Additionally, he addresses the current dilemma facing Thich Minh Tue and his followers: pass through an embattled Myanmar, or reroute?