Thailand and china collaborate to crack down on crime

Thailand and China are collaborating to crack down on crimes committed by Chinese nationals using Thailand as a base. Thai immigration police, led by Pol. Maj. Gen. Pantana Nutchanart, flew to China to seek cooperation and exchange of information with Chinese police in a week-long trip from May 5 to 11.

The goal of the trip was to prevent Chinese criminals from escaping to Thailand and using the country as a hideout. Pol. Maj. Gen. Patana said the information on criminals wanted by Chinese authorities would help Thai police arrest Chinese criminals upon their arrival in Thailand, and prevent them from executing their illegal activities in the kingdom.

Additionally, Thai police will track down criminals wanted by Chinese authorities and provide assistance in their arrest, Pattaya Mail reported.

During their visit, the Thai police observed the operations of a special police task force in Nanjing, which could be adapted to develop the skills of the Thai immigration police.

The collaboration comes amid a rise in criminal activities involving Chinese nationals in Thailand, including kidnapping and scams. The Royal Thai Police have been working to address these issues and have made several high-profile arrests in recent months.

Last month, police arrested six Chinese men for selling fake gold to rich Thai people resulting in a profit of more than 10 million baht. The suspects were reported to be former members of a scam call centre gang based in Indonesia. The gang confessed that their criminal act was inspired by a television series about scammers.

Also last month, Chinese nationals kidnapped and robbed a woman in Bangkok before fleeing Thailand. The victim, a solo traveller, had gone to an entertainment avenue in Bangkok’s Royal City Avenue (RCA). There, she met a man who invited her to the apartment he rented in the Rama 9 area, where another man was hiding. Both men then tied up the victim with a rope and stole her iPhone 14, cash amounting to more than 427,000 baht, and other belongings.