BANGKOK, Thailand – The National Police Chief has ordered a nationwide crackdown on illegal foreigners between February 18-24, resulting in over 9,500 arrests, with instructions for continued operations.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Archayon Kraithong, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police, reported that under the directive of Pol. Gen. Kittirat Phanphet, the National Police Chief, the Immigration and Transnational Crime Suppression Center, led by Deputy Police Chief Pol. Gen. Thana Chuwong, coordinated operations across the country. The focus was on arresting illegal immigrants, victims of human trafficking, and those involved in unlawful businesses and transnational crimes. The crackdown led to a total of 9,532 arrests, which included individuals with outstanding warrants, illegal immigrants, overstayers, those with revoked permits, cases of illegal employment, and other offenses. Among the detainees were Thai nationals, as well as a significant number of individuals from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other countries.
Authorities made several significant arrests, including the interception of a call center gang found in possession of grenades, over one kilogram of ketamine, and other narcotics. This operation, conducted by Immigration Police, the Central Investigation Bureau, and Tourist Police, resulted in the arrest of four suspects of Thai, Taiwanese, and Filipino nationalities. The Taiwanese suspect was found to have five outstanding arrest warrants in Taiwan, while the two Filipino suspects were believed to have been trafficked into a call center scam in Myanmar. Thai officials collaborated with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security in Sing Buri to assess whether the individuals were victims of human trafficking under the National Referral Mechanism.
In another significant case in Surin Province, Immigration Police and local law enforcement rescued six Chinese nationals who had escaped from a human smuggling operation. They had been transported in a pickup truck from the border but managed to flee. Authorities later raided rental houses and commercial buildings linked to a forgery ring that produced fake Chinese passports for illegal entry, resulting in the arrest of thirteen suspects. Further investigations are ongoing.
The Royal Thai Police has vowed to continue crackdowns on illegal immigration and transnational crimes in line with government policies to ensure national security and public safety. (TNA)
