Malaysian armed robber arrested in Bangkok after gold heist
A notorious on-the-run Malaysian armed robber who stole gold accessories worth over 6.9 million baht from a shop in the southern province of Songkhla was arrested at a Bangkok bus terminal.
The Malaysian national, 61 year old Yee Boon Long, stole 57 gold items from the Thai Udom Gold store on Montri 1 Road in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, on April 8.
CCTV footage caught Yee threatening staff and the store owner with a firearm, forcing them to retreat from the counter. He then left the front door wide open for a swift escape before rushing to the display case, seizing the gold items and placing them into his bag.
Yee fled the scene on his motorcycle. The shop owner later offered a reward of 200,000 baht for any information leading to Yee’s arrest.
The Malaysian national committed numerous crimes in both Thailand and his home country. In 2007, he stole gold worth over 50 million baht from a shop in Butterworth, Malaysia. He then fled to Thailand to evade arrest and later murdered two Thai nationals in Songkhla in 2024.
Reports indicate that Yee also committed another gold theft in the area in 2017, stealing valuables worth nearly 2.5 million baht. He was arrested and imprisoned for those crimes in Thailand and released on September 22, 2023.
Although he was deported back to Malaysia, Yee escaped punishment for the 50 million baht theft and returned to hide in Thailand.
Police tracked down the suspect while he was buying a bus ticket at Hat Yai Bus Terminal. He initially travelled to his child’s residence in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok, but was rejected after the family learned of his crimes through news reports.
Yee then attempted to continue his escape from Bangkok Bus Terminal (Southern, Sai Tai Mai), but was arrested by police, who escorted him back to Songkhla for legal proceedings. Half of the stolen gold and the firearm used in the robbery were confiscated.
Yee confessed to hiding in Thailand for over 10 years using a counterfeit identification card, which he had bought in Chiang Mai for 250,000 baht. His driving licence and health insurance card were also fake.
.jpg)
Photo via NaewnaHe admitted to previously working as a hired gunman in Malaysia, claiming responsibility for at least 10 murders. As for the two Thai men he killed in Songkhla, he said the killings were not contracted; he acted alone after they insulted his parents and family.
Police told Naewna that the 200,000 baht reward from the gold shop owner would be awarded to Songkhla Provincial Police, who successfully apprehended the suspect.
Yee faces the following three charges:
- Section 337 of the Criminal Law: Using threats or violence to force another person to surrender property or provide benefits. The penalty ranges from six months to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 to 40,000 baht. As Yee used a firearm, the penalty will be increased by half, as stipulated by law.
- Section 335 of the Criminal Law: Committing theft using a vehicle to facilitate the crime. The penalty is imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht.
- Section 8 of the Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms Act: Carrying a firearm in public without permission or necessity. The penalty is up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
Latest Thailand News
