CHANTHABURI, Thailand – The Royal Thai Navy has arrested eight people attempting to enter Thailand illegally in two separate operations along the Thai-Cambodian border, as authorities continue enforcing a “100% border closure” policy aimed at curbing illegal immigration and transnational crime. Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiphan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, said the Navy has intensified patrols, surveillance, and interception operations along the border in cooperation with other security agencies. The first arrest took place at approximately 10:00 p.m. on July 5, when a Marine Task Force patrol received intelligence that several suspicious individuals were hiding in a longan orchard in Ban Nong Krathing, Thep Nimit subdistrict, Pong Nam Ron district, Chanthaburi province. Officers located and arrested three Chinese nationals who admitted they had previously worked at a casino in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and were attempting to return to China by crossing illegally through a natural border route. They told investigators they had each paid US$2,000 to a human smuggling network for the journey.
In the second operation, carried out at around 8:30 a.m. on July 6, Thai Marines, immigration officers, and local police arrested five foreign nationals near Ban Bueng Chanang Lang in the same district. Those detained included four Cambodian nationals and one Bangladeshi national.
The Cambodian suspects admitted they had entered Thailand through natural border crossings in search of employment in Bangkok and Buriram province after struggling to find work in Cambodia. They told authorities they had paid between 5,000 and 10,000 baht each to smugglers. The Bangladeshi national said he had been living in Cambodia for about a year and was trying to travel to Poipet to locate his brother before becoming lost and being intercepted by Thai authorities.
All eight suspects have been handed over to investigators and immigration officials for legal proceedings. The Navy said all operations were conducted in full compliance with Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act.
Rear Admiral Parach said the arrests demonstrate that smuggling networks continue attempting to use natural border crossings to enter Thailand illegally, either to seek employment or use the country as a transit route to other destinations. He added that the Royal Thai Navy will continue working closely with security and law enforcement agencies to enforce the government’s “100% border closure” policy, strengthen patrols along the Thai-Cambodian border, combat illegal immigration, human trafficking, and transnational crime, and safeguard national security.
