There was quite a stir at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane on September 14. Lao police handed over 98 Chinese nationals linked to criminal cases to Chinese public security officers en masse. Among the group were six women. When local authorities cracked down on cybercrime and online gambling rings and made the arrests, they also seized 50 mobile phones, 50 desktop computers, and a large stash of other criminal tools.
According to Lao officials, what these individuals were doing on their soil was a clear violation of Lao law. That is why they were detained, and once the paperwork was sorted out, they were transferred straight back to Chinese police. Over the past few years, the raids on street-level scam compounds and online gambling dens have come one after another.
Now that all 98 people are in Chinese hands, they are being escorted back home for further questioning and trial. Anyone doing business or working in the region knows that the net for cross-border arrests is tightening by the day, and these crooked shortcuts have well and truly reached a dead end.
