Thailand's Constitutional Court recently postponed its ruling on whether Chinese gambling tycoon She Zhijiang should be extradited back to China.
The court stated that a final decision can only be made after receiving written opinions from three major departments—the Minister of Foreign Affairs must submit an opinion by September 1, the Minister of Justice by August 31, and the opinion of the Attorney General must be delivered by August 30.
She Zhijiang, a Chinese national who has held Cambodian nationality since 2017, is the chairman of Yatai International Holdings, which is responsible for the "Shwe Kokko New City" project in Myanmar, a site that has been accused of being a hotbed for fraud and online casinos. He was arrested in Bangkok in August 2022 due to an Interpol red notice issued by China, facing charges of operating an illegal online gambling network.
The detention of She Zhijiang has raised human rights concerns. His lawyer claimed to Interpol that he suffered "inhumane treatment" in prison, including solitary confinement, being chained, denied medical treatment, and even claimed to have received threatening visits from officials of the Chinese embassy. In response, the Thai Ministry of Justice stated that the prison is equipped with round-the-clock surveillance and denied the abuse allegations, asserting that all procedures are "in line with international prison management standards".
This delay in ruling highlights the cautious attitude of Thai judicial authorities in handling international extradition requests. On one hand, there is a need to balance international legal obligations with the legality of domestic procedures, and on the other hand, there is the need to deal with diplomatic pressure and human rights disputes. Whether She Zhijiang will be extradited depends on the opinions of the aforementioned three departments and the results of the judicial review. The development of this case not only affects the fate of individual fugitives but also impacts the regional direction in managing illegal online gambling, money laundering, and cross-border fraud cases.
