Foreign affair: Police ‘Thai’ up 18 Chinese men in illegal residency bust

Police in Kanchanaburi have detained a group of 20 foreigners for illegally residing in Thailand. The group, composed of 18 Chinese men and two Lao women, was apprehended in the Sangkhla Buri district, according to local police reports.

Police Colonel Paitoon Sriwilai from the Sangkhla Buri Police Station revealed that the arrests followed an investigation into a Chinese gang’s unlawful border crossings between Thailand and Myanmar using natural channels in the area. This activity raised suspicions and prompted a coordinated operation with patrol soldiers.

Law enforcement officers spotted the group behaving suspiciously during a border survey yesterday, November 12. The individuals were found without any passports or identification documents, raising immediate concerns about their legal status in the country, reported Bangkok Post.

“The suspects were observed displaying suspicious behaviour in the border area.”

Following their arrest, the group was charged with illegal entry. They were subsequently transported to the Sangkhla Buri Police Station for further legal action and processing.

In related news, immigration officers conducted coordinated raids on 30 locations, detaining nearly 300 foreign nationals suspected of various immigration violations. The operations led to fines totalling 250,000 baht, with offenders promptly handed over for legal proceedings.

This action took place on November 6, under the directive of Police General Kittirat Phanpet, who emphasised the urgent need to crack down on illegal activities by foreign nationals.

In other news, more than 100 illegal foreign workers have been uncovered by immigration police during a significant operation at a luxury hotel construction site on Pattaya Second Road, Chon Buri province.

This joint initiative was spearheaded by immigration officials and a labour expert from the Chon Buri Provincial Employment Office. Over 50 officers converged on the construction site on November 7, where hundreds of workers were engaged in their tasks. The sudden appearance of the police caused numerous foreign workers to scatter in haste.