More than 100 soldiers and police on Sunday searched a Christian church in Bangkok’s On Nut Soi 44 after residents accused the place of being involved in drugs and providing shelter for illegal migrants, mostly from African countries.
A combined team of soldiers, anti-drug police and immigration officers arrived with a search warrant at New Life Prayer Ministries Church at about noon and found about 100 African people inside. A clash, which involved pushing and jostling, broke out when the foreigners tried to bar the officials from entering, resulting in three officers being injured.
They were finally able to get in and conduct a search later in the afternoon after a talk with a priest.
A preliminary examination found the church’s documents falsely reported its location as it stated the building was constructed in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 24 instead of On Nut 44. Authorities said the church was a one-storey building that had been modified to allow for religious rites and was completely surrounded by walls.
The officers were questioning the foreigners in groups of five to check on whether they entered the country illegally and were conducting urine drug tests.