Bitcoin Mining: How Laos invited Organized Crime and came to a sudden Stop

When US-authorities confiscated bitcoins worth 15 billions of US-Dollar these days from the Prince Group conglomerate in Cambodia, there was a mention of Laos: Warp Data Technology Lao Sole Co., Ltd, a cryptocurrency mining company, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for its alleged involvement in a global cybercrime network. It is accused by U.S. und U.K.-authorities of being part of a larger criminal network that launders money from crypto scams through bitcoin mining. It is linked to the Prince Group, which has been identified as a transnational criminal organization.

How did Laos get to this point? It all started as China's top regulators banned crypto trading and mining in September 2021 - out of fear that privately operated digital currencies could undermine the control of the financial and monetary system and promote financial crime.

The crypto industry reacted by driving up its operations in several countries in South East asia, "together with the establishment of high-risk and unterground cryptocurrency exchanges", as UNODC reported. Probably hundred of thousands of crypto mining machines in China were waiting to be used elsewhere.

Despite all these warnings the government of Laos decided to promote bitcoin mining, as the Laotian Times reported on November 3, 2021: Laos to Mine Bitcoin and Repay National Debt.
Lao Minister of Finance, Bounchom Ubonpaseuth, told the National Assembly, that mining the cryptocurrency could contribute 28,963 billion in revenue to the national budget of Laos for 2022
. The government of Laos authorized six companies to trade and mine cryptocurrencies, while relevant ministries were told to draft regulations governing the use of cryptocurrencies. Finance Minister Bounchom said, the revenue would be used for priority projects of the government including the payment of national debt, which has grown also due to lending for the construction of Laos-China-Railway.

These companies have been given the green light for bitcoin mining in Laos:

. Warp Data Technology Laos,
. Phongsubthavy Road & Bridge Construction Co. (working in hydropower)
. Sisaket Construction Company Limited
. Boupha Road-Bridge Design Survey Co., Ltd.,
. Joint Development Bank
. Phousy Group

Crypto mining needs a lot of energy. No problem for Laos: Its ambition to become the “battery of Southeast Asia” with the construction of hydropower dams along the Mekong and its tributaries has left the country awash with surplus electricity.

It is not clear, how all these companies succeeded with planned mining operations. But Mapcarta shows a location of Warp Data Tech in Luang Prabang Province. In Champasak province in Southern Laos LCM, a joint venture between AIF Group and United Power of Asia (UPA), inaugurated a crypto mining farm. The plan was to run 6000 mining machines here. Phousy Group was stopped by Bank of Laos, when it started operations of cryptocurrency exchange named Welnance. In May 2024 there were reports of problems: Higher electricity demand due to cryptocurrency mining and erratic rainfall had led to power shortages in the country. The cryptocurrency mining then made up over a third of Laotian power demand according to Reuters.

But now, only days after the communication of the sanctions by U.S.- and U.K.-authlorities, the Lao government annlounced a sudden U-Turn: Laos plans to pull the plug on crypto miners by early 2026. The government seeks to redirect domestic power to industries that contribute more to economic growth, the country's deputy energy minister Chanthaboun Soukaloun told Reuters, aiming to prioritise power for sectors such as AI data centres, metals refining and electric vehicles. Laos has already begun scaling back supply to crypto miners, who currently consume around 150 megawatts of electricity, down 70% from a peak of 500 MW in 2021 and 2022, Soukaloun said.

Along Laos-China-Railway: 700-Million-Dollar-Project for attracting South Korean Tourists to Vientiane Province

See the locations on Phonhong District Google Map

A tourism mega project has been announced for rural Phonhong district (ເມືອງໂພນໂຮງ), 62 kilometers (ຫຼັກ62) north of Laos' capital Vientiane, in the south of Phonhong Railway station of Laos-China-Railway and in Vientiane Province. Lao newspapers report:
The government of Laos allows Eastern Pearl Consulting Company (ບໍລິສັດ ທີ່ປຶກສາໄຂ່ມຸກຕາເວັນອອກ) to use 500 hectares of state land for the development of a tourist hub by investment of 700 Million US-Dollars. The land is managed by the Ministry of Public Security. The signing ceremony took place on September 5 at the Office of the Investment Promotion and Management Committee. On behalf of the government, the agreement was signed by Mr. Bounthon Douangsavanh (ບຸນເຖິງ ດວງສະຫວັນ), Deputy Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Committee, on behalf of the Company by President Jeong Taejin (ຈອງ ແທຈິນ). Akso present were Mr. Lt. Gen. Kongthong Phongvichit, Deputy Minister of Public Security, Ms. Livong Laoly, Deputy Minister of Public Security and Mr. Kim Wonpyo (ຄິມ ວອນພຽວ), Senior President of Eastern Pearl Consulting Company. Mrs Lathdavan Phoonsavat (ລັດດາວອນ ພູນສະຫວັດ), Deputy Director of Eastern Pearl Consulting Company said, that this is a South Korean investment company, with its office located in Ban Sisavat, Chanthabouly District, Vientiane capital. No specific informations were given about how the company plans to attract the 700 Million US-Dollars for the investment.

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Rural Laos in Phonhong district

Lathdavan Phoonsavat said the goal of the project is to create a modern, environmentally friendly, comprehensive tourist destination with full facilities and preserving Lao traditions. The project site will include a golf course, leisure facilities (water park, lawn, walkways), accommodation (hotels, restaurants, convenience stores), solar power plants (solar panel areas, energy storage stations), dairy farms (dairy houses, lawns, lawns), forest restoration and nature conservation areas (tree planting areas, aquatic and wildlife conservation areas), roads, canals, gardens, parking lots, septic tanks and waste disposal sites.

Three villages in Phonhong district are affected by this project: Phonsomboun Village (ເຂດບ້ານໂພນສົມບູນ), Houay Thon Village (ບ້ານຫ້ວຍທົນ) and Phon Ngeun Village (ບ້ານໂພນເງິນ). At the ceremony no information was given, what will happen to these villages.

According to the speakers of the company construction will be divided into two phases, with the first phase taking place from 2025-2035 and the second phase from 2036-2045. The first phase will focus on building infrastructure and facilities that can generate income quickly, such as a sports field, hotels and restaurants, recreation and tourism areas.

In the second phase the expansion of public utilities, additional tourist areas and other facilities will continue to become a comprehensive tourism and leisure destination, the company says.

Project plan as presented

The company says it has a specific market plan to focus on Korean customers, especially tourists and sports enthusiasts, taking advantage of the strong sports and fitness popularity among Koreans. Korea is the fourth largest source of foreign tourists coming to Laos.

Phonhong is connected with Vientiane and China by the China-Laos-Railway and the first section of the new Lao-China Expressway opened in 2020 between Vientiane and Vang Vieng.


#treasuresoflaos .

Boten Special Economic Zone: From Women Trafficking for Prostitution to Chinese Products with the Label"Made in Laos"

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von DocuSphere (@docuspherenet)

@allterrainoverlanders writes on Instagram about the town at the border of Laos with China:
"Boten itself was quite shocking - we heard how it was a sin city but the extent and openness of the vice was incredible. For example at restaurant we dined at, the hardware shop we bought screws at, and the bike workshop were all adjacent to the fluorescent-lit storefronts with women waiting to be hired. Sadly, we noticed ladies looking no more than 16 prowling the streets too."

In August 2022 @aiy_anoulack showed theese pictures of Boten Jingland Hotel:

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Sex workers which are no more than 16? The german newspaper taz.de reports the same:
"16-year-old Laotian Noy has barely arrived in Boten on the border with China when her first day of work begins in the cool evening hours. Five Chinese men surround the girl. Noy, whose real name is different, wears braces and laughs shyly. I've never worked in this job before," she says, while her pimp, his wife, and one of the five Chinese men negotiate a price. "I'm a little nervous." Then everything happens very quickly, and she disappears into the darkness with her first customer—three or four times her age."

Taz.de continues:

"In the evenings, sex workers from Laos and clients from China populate the streets. Brothels are everywhere, with young girls sitting outside. Their laughter and the jeers of drunken Chinese mingles with loud music. Stories of sexually transmitted diseases and drugs circulate behind closed doors. In the former market area where Noy has been working since today, fights sometimes break out."

Night live scene in Boten:

Screnshot from Youtube

This Chinese Youtuber is talking about openness in Boten and he points to the night and the Lao and Vietnamese women:




This blogger shows Boten as a "mans paradise":




"Child sex trafficking ring from Việt Nam to Laos busted", vietnamnews.vn reported on December 12, 2024. Authorities have arrested and charged two individuals from northern Việt Nam for trafficking minors under the age of 16. In March 2024 two young women were recruted by promising lucrative opportunities. They were brought to Boten Special Economic Zone in Luang Namtha Province, Laos. The victims were coerced into prostitution to repay fabricated debts of VNĐ68 million (US$2,700). Investigations revealed that several women had been trafficked to Laos to exploit them for prostitution, primarily targeting Chinese clients in Boten. The Ministry of Public Security and the Lao Police conducted joint operations to arrest suspects and rescue victims in Boten, targeting properties managed by both Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.


In June 2024 we see Boten during the night:

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In January 2024 this was the oulook from Jingland Hotel in Boten:

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Samart Yaothanee (@samartcoffeeor)

On https://en.chinaseasia.net/ we learn:

"In 2011, the Lao government awarded a concession to Yunnan Haicheng, transforming the image of the area from a crime-ridden and violent border casino area into a border town full of opportunities and safe living. Yunnan Haicheng’s project focuses on developing the city into a modern city suitable for residents, with many facilities, including shopping malls, hospitals, plans to establish industrial estates, and cultural tourism attractions that connect with nature. (...) Many areas that looked empty are now filled with Chinese people who want to do business. (...) They come from many cities and provinces in China. (...) Boten is still lively at night, especially the 'massage' shops, which are lit with purple and pink lights. At the same time, the number of workers working on construction projects has also increased. The construction buildings along the way are not abandoned, but there are always workers. Even the number of young girls working in restaurants has clearly increased."

See this Youtube-Video by Andy Chan from August 21, 2024:




Blogster Lara Dumortier writes in May 20, 2025:

"It doesn’t feel like Laos anymore. People greet you with ‘ni hao’ and ‘xiexie’, you pay with Chinese yuan and the streetscape is dominated by tall blocks of buildings — all empty for the time being. The whole thing gives Boten a spooky feeling. (...) In the last twenty minutes of my bus ride to Boten we passed hundreds of trucks with Chinese company names. They all seem to be involved in the megalomaniac construction project that is being made here."

And she adds:
"Companies are allowed to remain 100% owned by Chinese shareholders, there are no import duties on goods coming from the Boten Special Economic Zone, and, most interestingly, products can be labelled as ‘Made in Laos’ according to WTO (World Trade Organisation) guidelines. This means that they are exempt from import duties in many countries, because Laos is classified as a “least developed country”. It becomes clear to me why this is so attractive to China."


But there are more illegal activities in Boten, als rfa.org writes on February 28, 2025:

"A Lao surrogate for Chinese parents gives rare insight into an illegal industry that continues to thrive. Last year, an acquaintance approached Mali with a proposition. A wealthy Chinese couple unable to conceive was looking for a surrogate from Laos. The going rate, about $6,000 to $7,000 plus daily spending money, represented a significant sum in a country where the monthly minimum wage is $82. “My friend used to be a surrogate mother, so she asked me if I wanted to be. I wanted to earn money,” Mali told RFA in an interview. “I wanted the money to build my own house.” (...) At a clinic in Boten, which sits just across the border from China’s Yunnan province, a team of Chinese doctors deemed Mali fit for surrogacy and implanted her with a fertilized embryo. She was then moved to what she described as a 'luxury hotel'.
There, alongside women from Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, Mali began her nine-month wait. (...) The team that handled Mali’s in vitro fertilization was made up of Chinese doctors and nurses, with a Lao interpreter providing support and helping arrange paperwork. Two months after the successful implantation of the embryo, Mali began traveling to China each month for checkups. (...) What she knew about the baby was what she saw in the briefest of moments before he was taken away: He was a boy, and he looked Chinese."


In November 2021 we saw this skyline of Boten:

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January 2022:

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Read also:
“Small Is Beautiful”: Lessons from Laos for the Study of Chinese Overseas

Resarch by Danielle Tan, published by Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 2/2012

How Vang Pao and Hmong People were engaged in the Secret War of the CIA in Laos

Tracking a warlord and drug baron: The CIA's cruel killer in its Secret War in Laos. Documentary by Swiss entrepreneur living in Laos:

Is Laos really counteracting its Online Scam Industry?

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Full of online fraud activities: The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone at Mekong river in the north of Laos

David Hutt, a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), analyzes on rfa.org, what happened lately in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in the north of Laos. Since August hundreds of people have been arrested due to their involvement in online fraud activities. Hutt writes that in Cambodia and Myanmar scamming tends to be geographically dispersed with compounds across the country and controlled by different syndicates. In Laos the industry was, until very recently, almost entirely centered in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, an autonomous area long notorious for organized crime and run by the Chinese casino mogul Zhao Wei and his Kings Roman Group, which has close ties to organized crime.

David Hutt argues, that Zhao Wei and his associates had established laundering trails to China and Myanmar years earlier, it meant that, unlike in Cambodia, most of the revenue from the scam industry immediately left Laos. This limited the amount of money needing to be recycled or laundered through local conglomerates, thus reducing the sums needed to corrupt Laotian officials, politicians, and tycoons. Hutt thinks that officials, especially those outside Bokeo province where the SEZ is located, weren’t contaminated by scam money, so they were not interested in protecting the racket. This makes it easier to conteract the scam industry. In May, the Lao government reshuffled the leadership of Bokeo province, according to Hutt ostensibly to clean out officials who had been bought off.

Then there is the Chinese Communist Party, which wants to crack down on the scam industry in Southeast Asia after many Chinese people have been victims of fraud activities. The Laotian government, which relies almost entirely on Chinese investment for economic growth and on Chinese debt, "cannot say no when Beijing orders it to move on the scammers", Hutt comments. The raids on the Golden Triangle SEZ came just weeks after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited Vientiane.

But Hutt thinks, that the Laotian government wants to push Zhao Wei and his associates enough for some smaller operators to flee the country, but not enough that the Golden Triangle SEZ collapses. Hutt points to the fact, that in Laos the online scam sector could be worth as much as the equivalent of 40 percent of the formal economy (according to a United States Institute of Peace report earlier this year). It is estimated that criminal gangs could be holding as many as 85,000 workers in slave-like conditions in compounds in Laos.

Major Crackdown against Online Fraud in Golden Triangle SEZ in Laos - Many Buildings empty now - Online Scammers moving to other Countries

In a coordinated operation, authorities have dismantled telecommunications fraud operations within the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ), arresting 771 individuals. The action was carried out on 12 August, as The Laotian Times reported. Security forces from Laos and China were involved. Among those detained were 282 women and 489 men from 15 different nationalities. The group comprised 275 Lao nationals, 231 people from Myanmar, and 106 Chinese nationals. Additionally, the detainees included 73 people from the Philippines, 29 from India and 20 from Indonesia. There were also six individuals from Mozambique, 11 from Ethiopia, and six from Uganda. The remaining detainees were from Vietnam, Tunisia, Colombia, Georgia, and Burundi, among others. The operation was led by Anousin Sackpaseuth, head of Bokeo Public Security.

Also in August Laos authorities issued an ultimatum to Golden Triangle Scam Operators to vacate the Special Economic Zone, as The Diplomat reports. According to Radio Free Asia the issue was discussed at an August 9 meeting between the governor of Bokeo province, high-ranking officials from the Lao Ministry of Public Security, and Zhao Wei, the chairman of the GTSEZ. Under the eyes of Zhao Weis security the fraud acitivites at the Special Economic Zone had been developped. The order to evacuate came a week after Lao authorities raided several call centers in the Golden Triangle SEZ, detaining and deporting 154 Vietnamese and 29 Chinese for their alleged involvement in the scams.



In late 2022, the South China Morning Post had reported that the GTSEZ contained “a number of prison-like call centers for online scams.” According to RFA a Lao official now said that “as many as 400 call centers were operating in the Golden Triangle SEZ, up from 305 a year earlier.” The scam centers have mostly targeted Chinese people, what led authorities in China to pressure their counterparts in Laos to act against these acitvitities. And according to Chinese officials the problem is even bigger: Police in Zhejiang investigated online fraud cases and traced perpetrators to GTSEZ. "In investigating Hongyu, police found numerous other fraud parks in the area, identifying 40,000+ ppl engaged in fraud in the area involving 1,029 companies", CyberScamMonitor reported on X.

The two years since the revelations in Soth China Morning post have brought many reports about foreign nationals being rescued from the GTSEZ after being trafficked there on false promises of legitimate work, and about raids with participation of Chiense officials. In November 2023, Lao authorities arrested more than 430 Chinese nationals who appeared to be involved in fraudulent call center operations in the SEZ, and handed them over to their Chinese counterparts for deportation. In January, Laos repatriated 268 Chinese citizens suspected of scamming while living or working at the SEZ.

When the deadline this august hat passed, Lao authorities raided more Golden Triangle scam centers, as RFA reports, arresting 60 Lao and Chinese nationals

LAOS: Authorities raid more scam operations in Golden Triangle SEZ, arresting 60 Lao & Chinese nationals one day after government-imposed deadline for illegal call centers to close. 250 police officers & officials participated in raids on 16 locations. https://t.co/kT7NC4yb0p

— CyberScamMonitor (@CyberScamWatch) August 30, 2024

How a Vietnamese man escaped from a Scam gang operating in a highrise building in GTSEZ.

What happens now at the Golden Triangle Special Econmic Zone? The owner of a guesthouse said to RFA: “The SEZ will be empty – the hotels, guesthouses and restaurants will have no customers.” Zhao Weis Kings Romans Casino remained open. But nearby buildings appeares to be empty, according to a Lao worker. “It looks very quiet these days, since the beginning of the operation,” he said. “The police force has checked all the buildings.”

And where did the online fraudsters go? Some fled to Chiang Rai, a Thai border security source said according to Bangkok Post. Many online scam gangs also moved their base to Myanmar and Cambodia, the source added. And Jason Tower, Myanmar Country Director at United States Institute of Peace, states on X, that the criminal kingpins were tipped off in advance, many moving to Myawaddy in Myanmar.

Read also:
Inside Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone: A Chinese Zone in Laos, where Americans are not allowed in
Will the Chinese Scam Networks relocate their Operations from Myanmar to Laos?
Macao at Mekong: How Chinese money flows into the Golden Triangle

4000 Islands in Mekong: From laid back Area to international Hotspot for Tourists

See the locations on Si Phan Don Google Map by #treasuresoflaos

Screenshot Youtube Kinoy Channel
A new city in Si Phan Don area: Two twin towers and two hotels in the shape of tip khao, a Lao traditional container used for keeping steamed sticky rice

A massive development project in the Four Thousand Islands Mekong area is on the way with Chinese investors in the South of Laos and near the Cambodian border. The construction of the so called "Sticky Rice Basket" hotel is progressing in the Sithandone Special Economic Zone (SEZ), located in Khong district in Champasak Province, as Laotian Times reports.



Si Phan Don is an archipelago of islands in the Mekong River, near the Laos-Cambodia border. Mekong River is very broad at this area and has formed many channels, creating islets and rapids. It used to be a quiet, sleepy, rural area, visited by backpackers and nature lovers. But in 2018 a massive transformation has been started by the Lao government and Chinese investors. Hotels, a casino, a 36-hole golf course, a hospital, an airport and a new town are planned near Southeast Asia's largest waterfall Khone Phapheng. The project is spread across a total of 9,846 hectares. The aim is to attract 10 million tourists, generating approximately 240 million USD per year, by 2050.

The Laos Mahanathy Siphandone (Hong Kong) Investment Co. Ltd. (老撾四千美島(香港)投資有限公司), also known as Laos Maha Nathi Sithandone (Hong Kong) Investment Co. Ltd., in 2018 received a 50-year concession for the land on which the Sithandone Special Economic Zone will sit, together with the road bridge construction, architecture and irrigation company LTV (president: Laty Sysouphannavong). It is providing 80 percent of the funding for the development, while the Lao government is supplying the rest according to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Behind the investment company seems to be China’s GuangDong Yellow River Industrial Group. Today the company operates under the name Sithandone Joint Development Co., Ltd (四千美岛联合开发有限公司, president: Li Xiang).

Residents of some villages have been forced to give up their land and relocate. A report by a Human rights organisation named Ban Hinsiu, Ban Phon, Ban Hang Khong, Ban Don Khong, Ban Muang Sen, Ban Phon Kao, Ban Thakhob, and Ban Houakhok.

So far the construction of basic infrastructure – electricity, water systems and a ring road around Don Khong – have been completed. In September 2023, the Laos Mahanathy Siphandone Investment Co. Ltd, paid compensation for farmland to 35 families as they sought to begin work on the golf course, reports rfa.org.

Near Khone Phapheng waterfall a large hotel has been built already. Mon Mon Boutique Hotel has been opened, the hotel is on Facebook. The hotel with 122 rooms has been opened with a ceremony in the presence of Jheng Jia Feng, Chairman of GuangDong Yellow River Industrial Group.

The hotel operates also under the name of Melsweldon.

The investment company has also cooperated with Lao Airlines with an aircraft lease agreement to start a Pakse-Guangzhou charter flights, aiming at Chinese tourists. And it tries to attract investors from Singapore for the further development of the Special Economic Zone named Siphandon New Economic Zone (ເຂດເສດຖະກິດໃຫ່ມສີພັນດອນ, on Facebook).

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 22 in 2024 for Khaen twin towers in the presence of Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. The 63-floor-towers (248.9 m high each) will be located at Thakho village, around 2 km from Khone Phapheng waterfall and are designed in the shape of Khaen, a Lao musical instrument. The twin towers will house five-star hotels, commercial offices, entertainment and convention facilities according to the investing company. Two hotels with 13 floors (62 m high), in the shape of tip khao, a Lao traditional container used for keeping steamed sticky rice, will be also built in phase one of the project. According to the Lao Government News Agency 130 million US dollars should be invested over the next three years.

Four Thousand Islands New Area is a new urban development in Khong district, Champasak province, Laos near the Laos-Cambodia border. This special economic zone will cover an area of more than 9,846 hectares and it will have its own airport by Chinese investment. pic.twitter.com/KXZZLTtQOQ

— PHETSIAM PN. (@PHETSIAM) June 14, 2024

In june 2023 the foundation stone laying of Laos Four Thousand Islands Golf Town was held, attended by Huang Dongsheng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yinfu International Group. The total area of the project is about 366 hectares. The project consists of two parts: Part I: 36-hole golf courses and golf clubs, divided into 18-hole forest area and 18-hole riverside area, designed by Greg Norman; Part II: Other commercial and real estate and service facilities.

“[At the Sithandone Special Economic Zone in Laos,] foreign investors have started to develop the land and brought their people, technicians and workers with them to build the big buildings that will be opened in September this year. pic.twitter.com/AdWlYpBxWW

— Mekong Eye (@MekongEye) September 21, 2023

For the moment questions remain: Will the Lao Government be able to control the development in Sithandone Special Economic Zone? Or will the new city develop the same way as the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone with money laundering in the casinos, prostitution and online fraud facilities by organized crime? And where will all the money come for this development?

Despite its inability to control the GTSEZ, the Lao government, desperate for FDI, is planning dozens more zones. Sithandone SEZ, on the south border with Cambodia, is perhaps the most concerning. @jdouglasSEA told me the mega-casino has the potential to be a new Golden Triangle pic.twitter.com/vWl9rx0GkG

— Alastair McCready (@AlMcCready1) October 10, 2023

The project homepage you find here: 四千美岛新 4000 islands; Sithandone Joint Development Co., Ltd

#treasuresoflaos #SithandoneSpecialEconomicZone #Champasak #Laos