Pattani: An influential business figure who has long been suspected of being behind underground businesses in the deep South has been detained by the military.
Sia Jo: Political ties at high levels
Security officials raided his property where they found and seized a number of official immigration stamps, cash in Thai baht, US dollars and Malaysian ringgit worth about 10 million baht, as well as imported logs.
Sahachai Jiarasermsin, alias Sia Jo, was detained on Wednesday morning at his house on Na Kluea Road in Muang district, which also doubles as a wood trading company called Sahasap Thawee Kha Mai Limited Partnership.
He was being detained on security charges and was being questioned at Ingkhayuthaborihan military camp in Nong Chik district under martial law.
He was expected to be handed over to the police at a later date.
A security source said Mr Sahachai was a well-known figure who has close connections with several former cabinet ministers which previously made it difficult for local security officials to pursue legal action against him.
Last October, Mr Sahachai was suspected of having some involvement with a robbery at an illegal casino in the Gulf of Thailand in which three people were killed and millions of baht stolen, said the source.
A combined force of military rangers, Central Institute of Forensic Science officials, and police forensic science officials raided his house again yesterday to search for more evidence to build their case.
They found what appeared to be official immigration stamps for arrivals and departures.
The security officials later checked with those immigration offices but were told none of their stamps were missing, which led the officials to believe the stamps were fake.
The officials also found accounts for wood and oil trading, bankbooks and cash in various currencies.
They said documents containing information about bribes paid to state officials were also found.
Cut wood that was declared to have been imported from Malaysia was also seized. The authorities were verifying whether the wood had been imported legally.
Mr Sahachai's house was previously raided by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Oct 17, 2012 when two trucks modified to transport 15,000 litres of oil, two frozen-product trucks modified also to carry oil, and cash in Thai and foreign currencies worth about 23 million baht were seized.
The DSI raided his house on Oct 17, 2012 after the Revenue Department requested the DSI treat it as a special case because of the lack of progress in an investigation into 100 million baht in taxes that had been owed since 2003.