National
• 1 hour ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Thai Nationals Caught in Laos' Expanding Crackdown on Cyber Scam Networks
PHNOM PENH, August 19, 2026 – Lao authorities have arrested more than 550 people in an ongoing crackdown on online scams and illegal gambling operations this month, with Thai nationals among those detained in a series of coordinated raids across the capital and provinces.
The August operations have pushed the total number of suspects arrested since mid-July to more than 1,100, according to the Laotian Times.
Chinese nationals have made up the majority of those detained, but Thai citizens have also been caught up in the sweep. On August 8, police raided an alleged telecommunications fraud and online gambling operation in the Thatluang Lake Special Economic Zone, detaining 261 suspects from seven nationalities, including 36 Thai nationals. On August 12, another raid in Sikhottabong district netted 74 suspects, including 71 Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese woman, and two Taiwanese.
The largest single operation took place on August 8, when 261 people were arrested. Chinese nationals accounted for 153, followed by 61 Vietnamese and 36 Thai. Nationals from Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Myanmar were also detained.
Outside the capital, police in Xayaboury Province arrested 47 suspects during a July 13 raid on a guesthouse, seizing 22 laptops, 228 mobile phones, and other equipment.
Photo Credit: Laos News Agency
Authorities are also continuing to transfer Thai nationals detained in a massive July 18 raid at ST Vegus Company Limited in Hadsayfong district, where 589 people were arrested. Of the 373 Thai nationals detained in that case, 268 have been handed over to Thailand, with 105 still awaiting transfer.
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone told the National Assembly in early July that authorities had arrested more than 4,400 cybercrime suspects from 25 nationalities during the first half of 2026.
— Source: Laotian Times
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
The August operations have pushed the total number of suspects arrested since mid-July to more than 1,100, according to the Laotian Times.
Chinese nationals have made up the majority of those detained, but Thai citizens have also been caught up in the sweep. On August 8, police raided an alleged telecommunications fraud and online gambling operation in the Thatluang Lake Special Economic Zone, detaining 261 suspects from seven nationalities, including 36 Thai nationals. On August 12, another raid in Sikhottabong district netted 74 suspects, including 71 Chinese nationals, one Vietnamese woman, and two Taiwanese.
The largest single operation took place on August 8, when 261 people were arrested. Chinese nationals accounted for 153, followed by 61 Vietnamese and 36 Thai. Nationals from Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Myanmar were also detained.
Outside the capital, police in Xayaboury Province arrested 47 suspects during a July 13 raid on a guesthouse, seizing 22 laptops, 228 mobile phones, and other equipment.
Photo Credit: Laos News AgencyAuthorities are also continuing to transfer Thai nationals detained in a massive July 18 raid at ST Vegus Company Limited in Hadsayfong district, where 589 people were arrested. Of the 373 Thai nationals detained in that case, 268 have been handed over to Thailand, with 105 still awaiting transfer.
Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone told the National Assembly in early July that authorities had arrested more than 4,400 cybercrime suspects from 25 nationalities during the first half of 2026.
— Source: Laotian Times
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
