CHIANG RAI, Thailand – A dramatic police chase unfolded in Chiang Saen when officers intercepted a pickup truck allegedly carrying a Chinese national who had entered Thailand illegally, with the driver reportedly making a sudden U-turn and driving against traffic to evade a border checkpoint.
Police and immigration officers had established a checkpoint on Highway 1129 in Pa Sak Hang Wiang village, Wiang subdistrict, Chiang Saen district.
Officers spotted a white Isuzu pickup heading toward Chiang Khong. As the vehicle approached the checkpoint, the driver suddenly stopped, made a U-turn and drove against traffic in an apparent attempt to escape. Officers quickly moved to block the vehicle before it could leave the village.
The driver was identified as 53-year-old Phutthachat from Buriram. Police said he had only recently been released on bail after being arrested on Aug. 20 for allegedly transporting four Chinese nationals.
During the incident, officers also found a 25-year-old Chinese man, identified as Zhang Wanze, who had reportedly been abandoned from the pickup and was found walking along the roadside without knowing where to go. Zhang told officers he had travelled to Myanmar for work about a year ago and later moved to Laos, opposite Chiang Saen. He said his employer subsequently instructed him to return to Myanmar, prompting him to cross the Mekong River into Chiang Saen before travelling through Thailand. Police charged Zhang with entering and staying in Thailand without permission.
Phutthachat was charged with assisting, concealing or otherwise helping a foreign national whom he knew had illegally entered the Kingdom to evade arrest. Both suspects were taken into custody along with the evidence and handed over to Chiang Saen police investigators for further legal proceedings.
