Gambling tycoon abused in Thai jail after claiming he spied on China, lawyers say

By Poppy McPherson and Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) – A jailed gambling tycoon has been inhumanely treated in a Thai jail after claiming to be a Chinese spy as he fights extradition to China, his lawyers have told Interpol, saying they fear for his life.

Xie Jijiang, who lives in China and has Cambodian citizenship, failed to stop and received an unwanted visit from Chinese authorities, according to a letter written by the lawyers to the international police organization, Reuters reported.

The investor He was arrested in Bangkok in 2022 on an international warrant and an Interpol Red Notice requested by Beijing, accusing him of operating illegal online gambling operations in Southeast Asia. She and his lawyers said the case was politically motivated.

In a letter to Interpol dated Jan. 9 and shared with Reuters, his lawyers said he was held in solitary confinement, chained, denied medical treatment for a spinal cord injury and had no contact with his family.

Lawyers Clara Gérard-Rodriguez and Pierre-Olivier Sur of France-based FTMS Advocates wrote that the rich man suffered “particularly inhumane treatment” and human rights abuses of an “institutional nature”.

“These elements make us seriously fear for our client’s life,” the lawyers added.

China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters that she was a Chinese national and a “key figure in online gambling and telecom fraud crimes”, adding that the evidence against her was “conclusive”.

He welcomed the Thai courts’ decision to extradite him, calling the move a major breakthrough in Thai-Chinese law enforcement cooperation. Her lawyers are appealing the extradition decision.

Thailand’s Justice Ministry declined to comment, referring questions to the Department of Corrections, but did not immediately respond.

Interpol’s red notices must comply with the organization’s rules “according to which activity of a political, military, religious or racial nature is prohibited,” an Interpol spokesman said, declining to comment further.

Trafficking syndicates

She said her detention last year was due to her refusal to comply with orders from Chinese officials who allegedly instructed her to develop the town on the Thai-Myanmar border.

“They wanted a colony. I wanted to do business,” she told the Al Jazeera network in a September 26 documentary.

After this month’s kidnapping and cross-border rescue of a Chinese actress caused a storm on social media, China has clamped down on Southeast Asian countries against Chinese-based gambling and fraud groups.

In recent years, the region has become a magnet for gambling activity, some involving fraud and human trafficking by criminal syndicates, many of whom are of Chinese origin.

Days after the Al Jazeera documentary aired, she was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Bangkok, where her lawyers say there are people facing long prison terms and the death penalty.

In late October, the lawyers said they were “brutally fired” by officers and inmates who accused them of indiscipline. They say he can’t walk or stand and now uses a wheelchair. The incident was also described in a police report seen by Reuters.

Twice in December, the lawyers said, Chinese embassy officials went to jail against his will and tried to persuade him to return to China. In one meeting, the officials suggested that their family and friends might seek help from the embassy, ​​which was interpreted as a threat.

Gambling empire

Her lawyers are seeking to overturn an Interpol Red Notice seeking her extradition.

Gerard Rodríguez told Reuters: “China’s ongoing flagrant violations and gross human rights abuses undermine international judicial cooperation and should act as a deterrent to extradition.”

Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

At the time of her arrest, she ran a gambling empire that included Shwe Koko, a $15 billion casino, entertainment and tourism complex on the Myanmar-Thailand border. The group, Yatai International Holdings Group, had investments in Cambodia and the Philippines.

The company says it is not involved in any criminal activities, including human trafficking.

The tycoon said he was recruited by the headquarters of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Security in the Philippines to drop criminal charges against Al Jazeera.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment.

She said she worked with former Philippine mayor Alice Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping. She was removed from office for misconduct and investigated by the Philippine Senate last year for her alleged links to offshore gambling operations targeting Chinese clients.

Guo has been accused of theft and money laundering and has denied being a Chinese spy and other charges of malice.