Thai officials foil Myanmar solar panel, fuel smuggling attempts
Security personnel in the western province of Tak intercepted attempts to smuggle solar panels and fuel into Myanmar yesterday, February 9.
This comes amid a Thai government directive to halt power and fuel exports to three Myanmar border towns, following a request from Chinese agencies concerned about scam operations targeting Chinese citizens.
In the first incident, a patrol comprising soldiers, border police, and administrative officials encountered two people carrying suspicious items in a forestry area along the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Tao, Mae Sot district. Upon being approached by the officers, the individuals abandoned the items and escaped across the Moei River into Myanmar.
The abandoned items included five boxes of solar panels believed to be intended for Myanmar, which is experiencing a power shortage due to the recent suspension of power supplies. Colonel Natthakorn Ruantip, commander of the Ratchamanu Task Force overseeing the patrol, shared these details.
In a separate incident in Mae Ramat district, a 31 year old man, known only as Jor, was apprehended by soldiers and police at a checkpoint.
His pickup truck was found to contain 10 containers, each filled with 26 litres of petrol valued at 930 baht and 114 litres of diesel valued at 3,870 baht.
Jor reportedly admitted to purchasing the fuel from local stations, with plans to deliver the containers to a pier by the Moei River for sale to a buyer who would transport them into Myanmar, reported Bangkok Post.
In related news, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) is establishing an international coordination centre to collaborate with foreign embassies in preventing foreign nationals from joining call centre scam gangs in Myanmar.
The initiative, spearheaded by Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, aims to tackle call centre scams, particularly in the Mae Sot district of Tak, which serves as a significant transit point for individuals joining illicit operations in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
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