CHIANG RAI, Thailand — Immigration officials in Chiang Saen district have arrested seven foreign nationals — six from China and one from Rwanda — after they were found walking along a public road near the Mekong River, apparently preparing to illegally cross into Laos. None of the individuals possessed valid entry or exit documents.
The arrests took place on December 3 during a border patrol operation in Ban Santonpo, Mae Ngoen subdistrict, an area frequently monitored for illegal crossings along the Thai–Lao border. All seven men, aged 20 to 46, were taken into custody and charged with unlawful entry and stay under Thailand’s Immigration Act of 1979.
Officials noted that while each suspect gave a different account of their journey, all had intended to leave Thailand through an unauthorized route. The Chinese nationals came from multiple provinces—including Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, Henan, and Jiangxi—highlighting a pattern of transnational movement facilitated by human-smuggling networks.
One of the detainees, Chen Yiping, 20, from Jiangxi province, told officers he had entered Thailand via Laos in July 2025 through a natural border crossing. Before his arrest, he had paid 300,000 baht to a broker to arrange his return to China but was caught before reaching the border.
Another man, Liu Yuanhong, 46, from Guangxi, said he originally traveled to Laos for work in July after paying a recruitment company 1,800 yuan. After working there, he moved to Thailand with help from an employer. When he later sought to return to China via Laos, he paid a smuggling agent 40,000 yuan but was apprehended before crossing.
A third suspect, Wen Zhichuan, 35, also from Guangxi, said he left China in December 2023 to work in Laos, entered Thailand in November 2025 to visit his girlfriend, and planned to return to Laos after paying 15,000 yuan to a broker.
Meanwhile, Jing Yuan, 30, from Guizhou, said he entered Thailand in October 2024 through Vietnam using contacts from a Chinese job-placement app. Illness prompted him to attempt a return home, arranged by his employer, but he was detained before departure.
Another Chinese national, Xiao Wei, 31, from Fujian, said he had been recruited by a friend to work in Myanmar in April 2025. After several months, he attempted to return to China via Thailand by paying 50,000 yuan to a smuggler but was arrested before crossing.
Authorities say the case reflects ongoing challenges with cross-border smuggling routes linking China, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, where migrants often pay large sums — sometimes tens of thousands of yuan — to brokers promising safe passage.
The Chiang Saen Immigration Office has tightened patrols and warned that similar operations will continue to curb illegal movement along the Mekong River.
