How One Man Rules in Asia’s Golden Triangle

Law enforcement says illegal activity is thriving in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ) inside Laos, where scammers, drugrunners and human traffickers allegedly operate with impunity. Bloomberg Originals investigates how a Chinese businessman became the de-facto ruler of this remote area in Southeast Asia.

00:00 - 01:32: Introduction
01:32 - 03:55: Porous Borders
03:55 - 05:19: What Happens in the GTSEZ?
05:19 - 06:15: What is the Kings Romans Casino?
06:15 - 08:00: Who is Zhao Wei?
08:00 - 09:40: Mekong Murders
09:41 -12:18: “Siti’s” Story
12:18 - 15:00: China’s Role

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[Abadguyy]

The way you protect your witness is very lousy...I mean if I was familiar with her I could tell by just looking her clothes and even recognise her through her voice...Please be careful

[voidvector]

This is literally Las Vegas playbook ... In the 1940-50s Vegas was run by the mafia, then the mafia slowly sold their casinos to commercial business.

[misterfunnybones]

I thought Chris Tucker & Jackie Chan determined that Juntao was the criminal mastermind of Asia.

[waynenathan]

this video made it look like Thailand is some sort of country with rule-based governance. bitter truth is Laos, Burma, Thailand all are part of this.

[RichardBaran]

Wait a moment... Casinos are used to launder money? No way. Casinos have always been on the up and up. Look at how the industry took off in the US, only the most honest business people were involved.

[fabrifibraa]

please do a better job at hiding witnesses identity. It is very easily recognizable for a familiar eye

[Brickzie]

I believe it's not so simple. Zhao is simply the face of it, but there's definitely a shadow organization that runs the entire operation, if not as a sole authority then as part of a symbiotic relationship.

[healthyself]

Morality, ethics, integrity are unwelcome here. It's all about making money.

[shimmeringreflection]

Finally, somebody explaining what exactly the Golden Triangle is in a concise and clear manner

[rollyico]

This activities is called POGO in the Philippines and perpetrated by Chinese by Chinese Nationals

[giveaway]

The Indonesian government must issue a travel warning to Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia and issue a travel advisory to Thailand.
For Indonesian citizens, it is best to avoid going to these countries.

[Kevface]

Yes, laos is a client state of China, but yet no Youtuber has exposed that the Central Bank of China is now the only bank worldwide that can trade the Laos Kip Currency,

CBC faculitates all KIP exchanges to foreign currency even for the Central bank of Laos... And can manuipulate Laos KIP as seen fit

China OWNS laos currency and can manipulate the orice / The entire country with this power....

[DemPilafian]

If Zhao Wei's illegal business empire collapses, he can always get an acting job playing a cartoonishly evil villain. He has the perfect look! He belongs in a Bond movie. 9:07

[yllare]

Why would there be a need to impose a ban on scamming operations when a scam itself is already a crime?

[oliversong]

Amazing that Laos still around." From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped 4 billion bombs on Laos. To this day, the country holds the dubious distinction of being the most heavily bombed neutral country in history."

[beng]

Everytime the US controls Afghanistan the drug market moves there. When the Taliban has control the drug market goes back to South East Asia.

[MasayaShida]

mainland chinese "investments" absoolutely ruined my country's beautiful Sihanoukville beach province with a skyline of empty unfinished casinos and money laundering crime

[khalidbhat]

I was also trapped there I am thankful to the Indian Embassy who rescued me safely

[napoleonibonaparte]

The Philippines nearly became one clearly with "POGOs".

[ljsaint]

This is EXACTLY what happen in the offshore gaming operations (POGO) in the Philippines which is currently being crackdown by the government.. Money laundering, text scam, love scam. Human trafficking, kidnapping etc..