Police in Phu Tho province uncovered the transnational group and stopped preparations for what the Ministry of Public Security described as a major high-tech fraud hub in Vietnam.The four arrested included one Chinese national and three Vietnamese citizens, according to a ministry statement.

Investigators said the group had rented several resorts, farmstays and villas in Hanoi, Lao Cai and Phu Tho to accommodate dozens of people involved in the planned operation. Many of those recruited had previously worked at scam centres in Cambodia, police said.

Authorities seized dozens of computers, hundreds of mobile phones and internet equipment during the raid, saying the facility was close to becoming operational.The Ministry of Public Security said the intervention prevented the establishment of a large-scale transnational fraud operation and helped protect national security and public assets.

Online scam networks have expanded across Southeast Asia, with criminal groups frequently moving personnel, funds and technology across borders to operate fraudulent schemes.At a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey described scam compounds as among the major global threats, saying their impact in Southeast Asia was increasing rapidly.

Bailey said such operations were managed by sophisticated international networks that exploit weak governance structures and emerging technologies to expand their reach.Amnesty International said in a report on Monday that dozens of suspected global scam compounds in Cambodia remained active despite a months-long crackdown by authorities.

The Thai cabinet approved plans to shorten visa-free stays currently granted to tourists from countries including members of Europe’s Schengen area, the United States, Israel and several South American nations, Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul told reporters in Bangkok.

Under the revised framework, most eligible foreign visitors will be permitted to remain in Thailand for up to 30 days without a visa, down from the current 60-day allowance introduced in July 2024 to stimulate tourism and economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. Some nationalities could face shorter stays of only 15 days, officials said.

The government said extensions would still be available through immigration offices, but approvals would no longer be automatic.
“The renewal will be decided by the officer and tourists will have to explain why they are staying longer,” a government spokeswoman said.

Thai authorities linked the policy shift to rising concerns over transnational crime and misuse of long visa-free stays by foreigners operating illegally in the country.

Recent police investigations have involved foreign nationals accused of drug trafficking, sex trafficking and operating businesses such as hotels, schools and entertainment venues without proper permits.

Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said last week the changes formed part of a broader strategy targeting criminal networks exploiting Thailand’s immigration system.

Officials stressed the policy was not aimed at any particular nationality but at individuals violating Thai laws while using tourist entry privileges.

Government spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek said the existing framework had generated economic benefits through tourism but also created loopholes for illegal activities.

Tourism remains a central pillar of Thailand’s economy, contributing more than 10 percent of gross domestic product. However, visitor numbers have yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels despite aggressive government campaigns to revive the sector.
According to tourism ministry data, foreign arrivals fell by approximately 3.4 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Arrivals from the Middle East declined by nearly one-third during the period.

Thailand expects approximately 33.5 million foreign tourists this year, marginally above the nearly 33 million arrivals recorded in 2025, according to government projections.

Indonesian immigration chief Hendarsam Marantoko said the government was reassessing visa waiver arrangements following a surge in cases involving foreign nationals allegedly engaged in cyber fraud, online gambling and other illicit activities.

Authorities last week detained more than 500 suspects in two separate operations targeting an online gambling syndicate in Jakarta and a scam network in Batam in the eastern Riau Islands province, officials said.

Those arrested included nationals from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar, all of which currently benefit from Indonesia’s 30-day visa-free entry scheme. Chinese nationals were also among those detained, although China is not covered by the waiver policy.

“Cases of foreigners involved in illegal activities, including those coming from countries granted visa-free entry facilities, give rise to evaluation” of existing policies, Hendarsam said in a statement released by immigration authorities.

Investigators found that many suspects linked to the Jakarta gambling operation had entered Indonesia either under visa-free arrangements or through permits issued on arrival, according to officials.

Indonesia has intensified immigration enforcement in recent weeks as authorities seek to curb transnational cybercrime and illegal online betting operations, which have proliferated across parts of Southeast Asia.

Hendarsam said immigration authorities had conducted more than 6,700 administrative enforcement actions in recent weeks, including over 2,000 deportations and revocations of residence permits tied to immigration violations and criminal investigations.

Southeast Asian governments have faced mounting pressure to crack down on cross-border scam compounds and online gambling syndicates, many of which operate through regional networks involving foreign workers and digital financial transactions.

The suspects were detained at an office building in the Indonesian capital after police investigations linked the group to an online gambling enterprise that had allegedly operated for the past two months, officials said at a press conference.

According to Wira Satya Triputra, director of the Indonesian police force’s crime investigation unit, those arrested included 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese citizens, 13 people from Myanmar, 11 from Laos, five from Thailand and three from Cambodia.

Wira said 275 of the detainees were being investigated under Indonesia’s criminal code provisions on gambling, which carry a maximum prison sentence of nine years. He added that most of the suspects were aware they had entered Indonesia to participate in online gambling activities primarily targeting customers outside the country.

Online gambling is prohibited in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, where authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts against digital gambling platforms and cross-border criminal syndicates amid concerns over financial fraud and illicit online operations.The arrests marked the second major enforcement operation involving foreign nationals in two days.

On Friday, Indonesian immigration authorities detained 210 foreigners on Batam island in Riau Islands province over allegations they were involved in online investment scams operating from an apartment complex near Singapore.

Interpol Indonesia official Untung Widyatmoko said there had been a recent shift in regional online gambling operations from Cambodian cities into Indonesia, reflecting changing enforcement patterns across Southeast Asia.

The latest raids underscore growing regional concern over organized cybercrime networks that have increasingly used Southeast Asian countries as operational hubs for online gambling, fraud and investment scams targeting international victims.

The suspect, Park Wang-yeol, was serving a 60-year sentence for the murder of three South Koreans when he was transferred to Seoul for investigation.

Authorities said the extradition was arranged after President Lee Jae Myung requested cooperation from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during a summit earlier.

Officials from South Korea’s foreign and justice ministries said the transfer was conducted under a temporary clause that suspends the inmate’s sentence in the Philippines to allow prosecution at home. Park arrived in Seoul under police escort and was immediately placed in custody.

Authorities allege that Park, believed to be 47, orchestrated a drug trafficking operation from prison, coordinating with accomplices in South Korea to smuggle and distribute large quantities of illegal narcotics.

Justice ministry and police officials declined to confirm details regarding the scale or financial value of the operation. However, some local media reports have estimated that the network distributed up to 60 kilograms of methamphetamine per month, with a street value of around 30 billion won (about $20 million).

South Korea has reported a steady rise in illegal drug use in recent years, despite stringent enforcement measures and crackdowns targeting imports and domestic distribution networks.

Security concerns over prison operationsOfficials said Park had escaped from Philippine custody twice, citing lapses in prison supervision that allegedly allowed inmates access to smuggled mobile phones to continue criminal activities.

In a statement, South Korea’s foreign ministry said bringing Park to trial domestically was necessary to prevent similar cases of criminals directing illegal operations while incarcerated abroad.

President Lee also expressed gratitude to Marcos, stating that authorities would pursue individuals harming the country “to the end of the earth.

”Philippine officials were not immediately available for comment.