Thai police caught taking bribes and freeing Chinese suspects
One Thai police officer was dismissed from service, while four others remain under investigation, over allegations of taking bribes and unlawfully releasing Chinese suspects wanted by Chinese authorities.
The corruption scandal came to light after Ma Guangxu, also known as Ah-hang, disappeared from a detention facility earlier this month. The Chinese national was held in custody pending deportation to China, where he was due to face legal proceedings.
An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Bureau found that five police investigators were linked to the suspect’s disappearance. According to a report aired on Hone Krasae, the officers were part of an organised scheme designed to help Chinese suspects evade legal consequences.
Under the scheme, the corrupt officers arranged for people to file false criminal complaints against detained Chinese nationals. These fabricated cases were then used to formally request the Immigration Bureau to delay deportation, claiming the suspects were required for further legal proceedings in Thailand.
Once approval was granted, the suspects were transferred from immigration detention to local police stations where the fake complaints were filed. Officers would then pretend to process the cases before failing to return the suspects to detention, allowing them to escape.
Investigators believe the officers received bribes ranging from hundreds of thousands to several million baht for each suspect they helped release.
Many of the Chinese nationals involved were reportedly linked to call centre scam operations and faced severe penalties, including potential death penalty, if returned to China.
The Deputy Spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police, Trirong Phewphan, said preliminary findings suggest as many as 131 Chinese suspects may have been unlawfully released under the scheme between 2021 and 2025, although the exact figure has yet to be confirmed.
Of the five officers implicated, one was already removed from government service. Police said this person alone was responsible for the fraudulent release of more than 30 Chinese suspects.
Trirong added that authorities will conduct a comprehensive review of foreign suspect releases from 2021 to 2026, vowing that all officers involved in the corruption network will be held accountable under the law.
In a related story, a Thai woman condemned Tak Provincial Immigration officers for deporting Burmese suspects accused of raping and murdering her mother without them facing legal consequences. The officers accepted responsibility for the matter and promised to work with the Burmese police to bring the suspects to justice.
