Battle Lines Inside Sin City: Chinese gangs, scam centres and people trafficking
Dec 17, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Sarah Newey, a Global Health Security Correspondent, uncovers the dark world of Sin City in Laos, where Chinese gangs run sophisticated scam operations. She vividly describes the glitzy yet gritty atmosphere, revealing how these scam centers operate with techniques like deepfakes and coerced labor. Joining her, Richard Horsey, a political analyst, examines how the power vacuums in the Mekong region have enabled organized crime to thrive, especially post-pandemic, while highlighting the need for international cooperation to combat these challenges.
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Glittering Casino Beside Rural Mekong Town
- Sarah Newey describes arriving by boat and seeing a glittering casino rising from a rural riverside town across the Mekong.
- She noticed empty streets, fake-themed plazas, luxury cars and local offers of prostitution that revealed a dark underbelly beneath the tourist façade.
Special Economic Zone Enabled Lawless Enclave
- Sin City grew from a 99-year special economic zone deal led by a Chinese gambling magnate, creating a semi-autonomous, lawless enclave.
- King Roman Group runs security and even limits Lao police access, enabling gambling, money laundering, trafficking and scam operations.
Recruited Workers Trapped In Scam Compounds
- Newey recounts people recruited for supposed jobs who end up trapped in compounds doing 12-hour scam shifts.
- Some accept the situation because pay (around $1,500/month) is attractive relative to their home countries despite passports being confiscated.