Thailand prepares for influx of foreign criminals this High Season

Thailand is a known beacon for fugitives attempting to slip under the radar. Thai police are worried that when tourist arrivals spike in high season – between October and February – that the country will also see an influx of foreign criminals. Thai police are working with embassies all over the world to set plans in case foreign crooks slip through the net.

The Land of Smiles has traditionally been one the top source countries for the extradition of felons to the US. All kinds of foreign lawbreakers are found in Thailand – child molesters, rapists, drug traffickers, murderers, money launderers, and cyber criminals to name a few.

Most criminals get let into Thailand under the guise of “tourism.” If criminals do get through border security, Thailand wants to swiftly deport them back to their home country to face prosecution, said tourism police spokesperson Pol. Maj. Gen. Apichart Suriboonya on Tuesday.

The Royal Thai Police have been working with 18 embassies worldwide to plan for the smooth deportation of crooks. The embassies on board include Austria, Belgium, the UK, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

In July, a Chinese man wanted on an Interpol ‘Red Notice’ for trafficking Chinese people across borders to work in call centre gangs in Laos and Cambodia was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

In May, Thai police arrested 46 year old William Dempster, a convicted pedophile who fled Scotland before he was sentenced and fled to Thailand in 2014. After eight years on the run in Thailand, he was finally extradited to the UK to face prosecution.

Hopefully, the police’s work with foreign embassies will prevent criminals like Dempster from roaming free in Thailand for years on end.

SOURCE: ASEAN