A Ugandan man wanted for alleged human trafficking has been arrested in Bangkok, but five of his countrymen also named on arrest warrants have managed to flee the country.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy chief of the Tourist Police Bureau, said tourist police coordinated with Metropolitan Police Division 4 and the Immigration Bureau in investigating 28 Ugandan nationals suspected of involvement in human trafficking and other offences.
The investigation found that six of the Ugandans were involved in human trafficking and warrants were obtained for their arrest. One of them was caught in Bangkok on May 29. The other five had fled the country, he said on Friday.
Of the other 22 Ugandans, three were deemed "victims" of human trafficking - having been brought into the country and forced to work as prostitutes.
Complaints were filed against the six Ugandans at Lumpini police station before arrest warrants were approved by a court.
All 22 had been deported for illegal entry and overstaying.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate said a total of 44 people - 42 foreigners and two Thais - had also been arrested in coordinated raids on 83 locations across the country on Thursday.
Most of the foreigners were from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, India, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, Guinea or Bangladesh.
Eleven of them (6 from India, 2 from Uzbekistan, one each from Nigeria and Guinea, and one unknown) were charged with overstaying, and 31 others (9 from India, 7 from Myanmar, 5 from Laos, 4 from Cambodia, 3 from Nigeria, 2 from Bangladesh and one from Uzbekistan) were charged with illegal entry.
The two Thais were charged with other offences, said Pol Maj Gen Surachate.
The coordinated raids were the 12th phase of the police operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner. Of the 83 locations raided, three involved international schools, two language schools, 30 secondary schools and 48 other places.
To date, a total of 1,162 foreign suspects had been apprehended in raids at 3,563 locations nationwide since X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner began, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.