Ubon Ratchathani crackdown nets 3 illegal Chinese immigrants in border raids

In a significant operation in the Ubon Ratchathani province, three illegal Chinese immigrants were detained whilst they were in hiding in a border village. The three men were reportedly waiting to be transported to work for telecommunication fraud and online gambling organisations.

In the course of the same operation, police also apprehended a Thai national who had been sheltering the Chinese immigrants. The raid, conducted yesterday, took place across five different border villages situated in the Khemmarat and Pho Sai districts.

Acting on intelligence regarding the presence of unlawful Chinese immigrants, a combined operation was led by Ubon Ratchathani immigration chief Pol. Col. Chatchai Samniang. The team consisted of soldiers, law enforcement officers, and local government representatives.

The arrested Chinese nationals included 33 year old Jiang Jiang, 19 year old Cheng Mao Sheng, and 22 year old Zao Hui Fan. They were discovered in the district of Khemmarat. Along with them was Phornphana Buddaphan, a 46 year old local who was arrested for harbouring the Chinese trio. Charges of illegal entry were enforced upon the foreigners while Phornphana was indicted for his role in hiding them, reported Bangkok Post.

The police suggested that these men were biding their time, waiting for transportation to other regions in the north and east. Their end goal was reportedly joining a telecommunication fraud gang and an online gambling organisation, believed to be located in a neighbouring territory. A van associated with illicit smuggling was impounded during the operation.

Upon interrogation, Phornphana confessed to collecting the trio after they were smuggled across from Laos. According to his testimony, his home served as a short-term safe house where they were due to spend a single day before a vehicle would transport them to their final destinations. For his part in this venture, Phornphana was allegedly paid 4,000 baht (US$113) for each individual, with this being his fourth such instance.

The arrests, as stated by Pol. Col. Chatchai, are part of a larger nationwide strategy. This plan, undertaken by the national police chief Pol. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapas and deputy national police chief Pol. Gen. Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, is aimed at cracking down on unlawful migration along the northeastern border.

Illegal Chinese immigrants are suspected of entering Thai territory to operate and work with shady businesses. These revelations were supplied by the provincial immigration police chief, who disclosed that the inquiry is expanding to apprehend other Thai nationals involved in smuggling Chinese individuals unlawfully.