Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong has announced plans to travel to Indonesia to negotiate the extradition of Chavalit “Paeng Nanode” Thongduang, a convicted crime boss who escaped custody last year. Chavalit, 37, fled after receiving a 20-year and three-month sentence for attempting to free a drug suspect from police custody. He was recently arrested in Indonesia.
Pol Col Tawee, accompanied by Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Acting Director-General Pol Maj Yutthana Praedam, stated that Chavalit’s return could be delayed if Indonesian authorities decide to press additional charges. Chavalit is suspected of committing crimes in Indonesia, including using a fake passport and assault. However, if he is only found to have violated immigration laws, his extradition could proceed immediately.
A Royal Thai Air Force plane is scheduled to depart for Indonesia on Sunday (June 2), although the flight details remain unconfirmed. Chavalit originally escaped from a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on October 22, where he had been admitted after faking an illness.
Since 2007, Chavalit has been pursued by Thai law enforcement and previously received assistance in avoiding prosecution from a prominent individual in Phatthalung, his home province. (NNT)
