She Zhijiang escorted to Bangkok airport for extradition from Thailand to China

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Chinese-Cambodian businessman She Zhijiang was extradited from Thailand to China on 12 November 2025, ending a years-long legal fight against the order.

He faces charges in China of running extensive illegal casinos and online gambling operations across the region.

According to Thai media, She, 43, was escorted by security officials through Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport before being placed on a flight to China.

The transfer followed a final ruling by Thailand’s Court of Appeal on 10 November 2025, which upheld an earlier extradition order.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) confirmed that the extradition proceeded under the 1993 Treaty between Thailand and China on Extradition.

The agency said She’s return reflects “effective cooperation” between the two countries’ law enforcement authorities.

Background of the case

She was arrested in Bangkok in August 2022 on an Interpol red notice issued at China’s request.

Chinese authorities allege he managed 239 online gambling websites and oversaw two casinos in Myanmar’s Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone, with total circulating capital exceeding 12.63 trillion baht (approximately S$508 billion).

In May 2024, Thailand’s Criminal Court approved China’s extradition request, but She appealed the decision.

In October 2025, the Thai Constitutional Court ruled that relevant sections of the Extradition Act B.E. 2551 (2008) were constitutional, paving the way for the Court of Appeal to finalise the extradition order.

She’s lawyer, Sanya Eadjongdee, stated that his team had “explored every available legal option” but conceded that the Court of Appeal’s verdict rendered the extradition final.

The espionage claim

In a 2024 interview with Al Jazeera’s 101 East programme, She claimed he had been a Chinese intelligence operative who fell out of favour and feared execution if returned to China. He alleged his prosecution was politically motivated.

However, legal experts quoted by Al Jazeera noted that such assertions appeared to be a strategic attempt to prevent extradition by invoking the risk of political persecution. Thai courts ultimately dismissed the claim.

The Shwe Kokko connection

She’s business empire was centred on the Asia-Pacific New City project in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar, valued at around US$15 billion (S$19.5 billion).

The development has been linked to online gambling, cyber scams, and human trafficking operations.

In September 2024, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned nine individuals and entities associated with Shwe Kokko for their roles in regional trafficking and scam networks.

The United Nations has also warned that border areas spanning Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have become hubs for forced labour and online fraud since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chinese and Thai cooperation

At a press conference in Bangkok, Zhao Meng Tao (赵梦涛), Political Affairs Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said She’s extradition was the result of “joint efforts between law enforcement and judicial departments” of both nations.

Zhao stated that China was grateful to Thailand for its cooperation, describing the case as evidence of a “high level of coordination in combating transnational crime and tele-fraud.”

Thailand’s OAG similarly praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Thai Police, and Department of Corrections for facilitating the process.

She is among the most prominent alleged cybercrime figures to be extradited to China, where authorities have in recent years intensified operations against large-scale online fraud and gambling networks.