Detained Gambling Tycoon Zhijiang Claims Thai Jail Abuse

A gambling tycoon imprisoned in Thailand and facing extradition to China has reportedly endured “inhumane treatment,” according to his lawyers, who fear for his safety after he claimed to have been a Chinese spy.

“Particularly Inhumane” Treatment Described by Lawyers

She Zhijiang, a China-born businessman with Cambodian citizenship, has been detained in Bangkok since 2022 on an international warrant and an Interpol red notice issued by Beijing. 

Chinese authorities accuse him of operating illegal online gambling enterprises across Southeast Asia. However, She and his legal team argue that the charges are politically motivated.

In a letter dated January 9 and shared with Reuters, lawyers Clara Gerard-Rodriguez and Pierre-Olivier Sur of the France-based firm FTMS Avocats detailed grave human rights violations against She. 

The two claimed their client had been kept in solitary confinement, shackled, denied medical care for a spinal injury, and cut off from his family. 

The same writing also described She’s treatment as “particularly inhumane” while further warning the respective conditions could endanger his life.

China Dismisses Allegations 

China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations, asserting that She was a key figure in gambling and telecom fraud, describing the evidence against him as “conclusive.” 

The ministry also praised the Thai court’s decision to approve his extradition, framing it as a milestone in Thai-Chinese law enforcement collaboration. 

She’s lawyers announced they would appeal the court’s ruling.

An Interpol spokesperson emphasized that red notices must adhere to rules prohibiting political, military, religious, or racial activity.

“They Wanted a Colony”

In a September 26 Al Jazeera documentary, She alleged that his detention stemmed from his refusal to comply with orders from Chinese authorities to build a development on the Thai-Myanmar border. 

“They wanted a colony. I wanted to do business,” he said. Days after the documentary aired, She was transferred to a maximum-security prison. 

In October, according to his lawyers, he was assaulted by officers and inmates, leaving him unable to stand and reliant on a wheelchair.

She has also alleged unwanted visits from Chinese embassy officials who pressured him to return to China, with implied threats against his family and associates.

Once the head of a gambling empire that developed the $15 billion Shwe Kokko complex on the Myanmar-Thai border, the now 43-year-old who was nabbed by the Thai authorities two and a half years ago has denied any involvement in human trafficking or other criminal activities. 

His lawyers continue to seek the dismissal of the Interpol red notice, arguing that China’s actions violate international judicial norms.

Last week, we reported on China’s top court’s decision to sentence a man who has been subsequently convicted of managing an organized criminal venue in Macau to six years in prison.