SONGKHLA, Thailand – Immigration and Tourist Police chased two suspected vehicles for more than 40 kilometers in Songkhla before arresting three Thai nationals and a Chinese man allegedly being smuggled through Thailand from Cambodia on his way to Malaysia. The operation took place on October 4 after Songkhla Immigration Police and Tourist Police received information about a network allegedly transporting Chinese nationals who had left Cambodia illegally through Thailand for onward travel to Malaysia.
Officers from Immigration Division 6 and Songkhla Immigration Police monitored suspected routes and spotted two vehicles travelling together at high speed towards Hat Yai. Police signaled the vehicles to stop, but both allegedly fled. Officers pursued the vehicles for more than 40 kilometers before stopping the second vehicle on Lop Buri Ramesuan Road in Khlong Hae, Hat Yai district.
The driver, a 35-year-old Thai woman, and another 35-year-old woman in the front passenger seat were arrested. Police said the two admitted they had been hired to transport a 41-year-old Chinese man who had no passport. He had allegedly been concealed in the rear of the vehicle and was being taken to a resort in Hat Yai for a payment of 10,000 baht.
During questioning, a 29-year-old Thai man allegedly acting as the lead driver contacted the woman to ask about the meeting point. Officers arranged for them to meet at a petrol station, where the man arrived in the other vehicle previously pursued by police. He was then arrested. The three Thai suspects were charged with jointly providing accommodation or assistance to a foreigner who entered Thailand illegally. The Chinese national was charged with entering and staying in Thailand without permission.
All four suspects and the vehicles were handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.
Immigration authorities said the operation followed instructions to intensify efforts against illegal migrant-smuggling networks and investigate possible links to wider transnational crime. Officers will also check the backgrounds of those arrested for possible warrants or connections with criminal networks.
