Recently, online scam parks and border casinos in countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar have once again become a focal point of regional public opinion. Reports from multiple international organizations indicate that the cross-border scam industry in Southeast Asia has rapidly expanded over the past decade, with victims worldwide, and its behind-the-scenes forces are still closely linked to Thailand.
Analyses suggest that during Yingluck's administration from 2011 to 2014, a large amount of Chinese capital entered Thailand, with some investments suspected of being a cover for online casinos and scam parks.
After the 2014 coup, these networks gradually relocated to Sihanoukville in Cambodia, the Golden Triangle in Laos, and Northern Myanmar, forming the "Mekong River Scam Belt." Research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol further revealed that these parks, relying on the facade of casinos, also involve human trafficking and forced labor.
Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Cambodia Tourism Association, pointed out that after his return to the country, he quickly regained influence and promoted the legalization of casinos and online gambling during his daughter Pei Tongtan's administration. He criticized that this was not merely a reform, but a whitewashing of the scam and gambling industries.
Official data shows that in 2024, there were over 400,000 scam cases in Thailand, with economic losses exceeding 60 billion Thai baht, and less than 2% of the losses were recovered. Analysts believe that unless the underlying interest chains behind border casinos and the domestic political-business network are addressed, the scam industry will continue to expand, and regional games will be hard to end.
