700 Malaysian Workers Trapped in Lao Casino, Forced into Online Scamming

Around 700 Malaysian migrant workers are being held captive in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) in Bokeo province, Laos. The workers were lured to the GTSEZ with the promise of jobs but are instead being forced to work as online scammers, with compliance enforced by beatings and torture. Their Chinese employers confiscate their passports and cell phones, and most of the workers are confined to their buildings.

The GTSEZ is a gambling and tourism hub catering to Chinese citizens situated along the Mekong River where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet. The zone is run by Chinese gambling kingpin Zhao Wei, who was sanctioned by the US Treasury Dept. in 2018 for involvement in money laundering, as well as the distribution of heroin, methamphetamine, and other narcotics.