Thai driver, undocumented Chinese man arrested in Kanchanaburi

Chattarin SiradakulPublished: April 8, 2026, 10:51 AM

122 1 minute read

Thai driver, undocumented Chinese man arrested in Kanchanaburi | Thaiger — Edited photo made with photo from Matichon

A Thai driver and a Chinese passenger were arrested at a security checkpoint in Thong Pha Phum district, Kanchanaburi, on April 6 after officials stopped a pickup suspected of transporting an undocumented migrant.

The operation followed a tip-off that Chinese nationals were being brought in from Myanmar through natural border crossings near Three Pagodas Pass before being transported along the Thong Pha Phum-Sangkhlaburi route.

The crackdown, officials said, forms part of efforts to target transnational crime and call centre gangs using border areas as transit routes.

Officials stopped a black Toyota Vigo pickup at the Thong Pha Phum intersection checkpoint on Highway 323 after it matched a tip-off about a suspected smuggling vehicle.

The pickup drew further suspicion because both doors carried the insignia of a government agency.

Police arrested a Thai driver and an undocumented Chinese man in Kanchanaburi after stopping a pickup linked to a smuggling tip-off. — Photo via Matichon

Inside the pickup, officers found 30 year old Sathit, from Thong Pha Phum district, Kanchanaburi, wearing clothing bearing the same agency insignia seen on the vehicle. A 27 year old Chinese passenger, identified as Long Tao, was also in the vehicle.

Officials said the Chinese man had no identification documents and could not speak Thai. Both men were taken into custody for questioning.

During initial questioning, Sathit allegedly confessed that he had been told by the head of a national park unit where he worked to collect a group of Chinese nationals from a petrol station in Thong Pha Phum district. He was allegedly driving them to another location when he was arrested.

Police charged the driver with helping, hiding or otherwise assisting an undocumented foreigner to evade arrest. The Chinese passenger was charged with illegal entry.

Officials said they will further examine the pickup carrying the government agency insignia. If the vehicle is found to have been a state vehicle used in the offence, or if the insignia was forged, legal action will be taken against those involved.

Elsewhere, Tak officials arrested four Chinese nationals who had crossed illegally from Laos into Thailand and were heading towards Myanmar to work for a call centre gang. Through an interpreter, they said they had travelled from Guizhou through Yunnan in China, entered Laos and then crossed illegally into Thailand.

Chattarin Siradakul

With a degree in language and culture, focusing on media studies, from Chulalongkorn University, Chattarin has both an international and a digital mindset. During his studies, he spent 1 year studying Liberal Arts in Japan and 2 months doing internship at the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara, both of which helped him develop a deep understanding of the relationship between society and media. Outside of work, he enjoys watching films and playing games, as well as creating YouTube videos.