Law and Crime

Laos Arrests More Than 550 in August Scam Crackdown

Laos has detained more than 550 people in raids targeting online scams and illegal gambling operations so far in August, as authorities step up a nationwide crackdown that has now netted more than 1,100 suspects since mid-July. The latest figures come after a series of raids across Vientiane Capital and...

Laos Seizes Nearly 1.8 Tonnes of Suspected Ivory, Black Panther Remains in Bolikhamxay Raid

On 16 August, Lao authorities detained 11 foreign nationals in connection with a wildlife...

Vientiane Authorities Detain Nearly 400 in Cybercrime Raids in Early-to-Mid August

Vientiane authorities have detained nearly 400 suspects in three separate raids since the start...

Laos Authorities Arrest Four in Alleged Marriage Trafficking Network

On 23 July, Lao authorities arrested four people suspected of operating a human trafficking...

Police Detain 261 Foreign Nationals in Thatluang Lake SEZ Scam Raid

On 8 August, Vientiane police raided a telecommunications fraud and online gambling operation at...

Bokeo Authorities Seize Over 4 Million Meth Pills in Latest Crackdown

Bokeo authorities seized more than 4.16 million methamphetamine pills and 159 packs of crystal meth in a major drug bust on 22 July.  According to...

Endangered Wildlife Found Shot in Salavan Despite Stricter Conservation Laws

Salavan Province is once again in the spotlight after the discovery of two protected wildlife species, one Greater Hog Badger and three Red-shanked Douc...

Dozens Dead in Vietnam After Ha Long Bay Tourist Ferry Sinks

By ran Thi Minh Ha/AFP - Rescuers were desperately searching for five people still missing on Sunday after 37 were killed when a boat...

Cambodia Targets Cross-Border Crime with Mass Arrests, Signs Pact with Laos to Combat Scams, Drug Trafficking

Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 1,362 individuals, including hundreds of foreign nationals, in a sweeping 20-day crackdown on online scam operations across seven...

Misbehaving Monks: Sex Scandal Shakes Thai Buddhist Faithful

By Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON/AFP - Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the...

Laos to Criminally Prosecute Offenders of Natural Resource Crimes

The Lao government has officially ended the use of administrative fines for crimes involving natural resources, replacing them with criminal prosecution.  The Office of the...