Thai police say they have uncovered a smuggling network transporting suspected scam operators through Thailand to Malaysia as criminal groups seek to escape intensified crackdowns elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Highway Police commander Pol Maj Gen Pornsak Laorujiralai said on Wednesday that five operations conducted since February had led to the arrest of 26 people, comprising 20 Chinese nationals who had entered Thailand illegally and six Thai suspects.
The first case occurred on February 7, when officers stopped two vehicles in Chumphon and detained eight Chinese nationals and two Thai drivers. The Chinese passengers had no travel documents and were carrying approximately 150 mobile phones.
The Thai suspects told investigators they had been paid 30,000 baht by a man identified only as Prasopchoke to drive the group from Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district to Hat Yai in Songkhla, near the Malaysian border.
Police later learned from the Chinese consulate in Hat Yai that one member of the group was wanted in connection with fraud.
A second operation on June 29 resulted in the arrest of four Chinese men aboard an interprovincial bus in Chumphon. Police said the suspects had purchased tickets using other people’s identities and intended to continue their journey to Malaysia.
One month later, officers intercepted a Toyota Fortuner in Surat Thani and arrested a Chinese man who had allegedly crossed illegally into Thailand from Cambodia.
The suspect, who was travelling towards Hat Yai, was reportedly wanted for fraud in Taiwan’s Hsinchu City. His Thai driver was also taken into custody.
On August 20, highway police stopped a Hyundai H-1 van with its curtains drawn and discovered five Chinese men travelling with two Thai nationals.
Investigators said the Chinese passengers had entered Thailand illegally from Cambodia and paid 20,000 baht to be transported to Chana district in Songkhla. Two were reportedly wanted in China over online scam cases.
Police arrested Prasopchoke on Tuesday after stopping him in Chumphon while he was transporting two undocumented Chinese migrants.
Videos found on the passengers’ phones allegedly showed scam-centre workers being beaten with baseball bats and subjected to electric batons as punishment.
“The five incidents show a clear movement of criminals sneaking into Thailand and travelling through the South to Malaysia to set up a new base,” said Pol Maj Gen Pornsak. “The relocation is part of the criminals’ strategy to eliminate evidence, avoid arrest and relocate scams.”
He warned that Thai nationals assisting the smuggling operations could face charges related to participation in transnational criminal organisations.
Many of the suspects travelling towards Malaysia are believed to have been heading for Forest City, a US$100-billion development in southern Johor backed by troubled Chinese property developer Country Garden Holdings.
The megaproject has struggled with low occupancy, with an estimated 17,000 of its 26,000 residential units remaining vacant.
Since its launch in 2016, Forest City has also faced environmental and regulatory challenges, prompting Malaysia to introduce tax incentives in 2024 in an effort to attract investment and stimulate economic activity.
In late July, Malaysian police raided 32 premises allegedly being used for online scam operations in Forest City. The operation resulted in 335 arrests, including 309 Chinese nationals, and the seizure of assets valued at approximately 1 million ringgit, or US$245,000.
