Three people, including a foreign national, were charged with illegally crossing into Laos and returning to the kingdom infected with Covid-19, according to immigration police.
They were identified by police as Chitpol, 30, Thanakrit, 31, and an unnamed 26-year-old Lao woman. They were charged with leaving the kingdom without an immigration check and illegally returning to Thailand, police said.
Pol Lt Col Peerapan Promwut, deputy superintendent at the Nong Khai immigration office, said immigration police were alerted to Mr Chitpol and Mr Thanakrit making an illegal entry into Laos, where they travelled in Vientiane and Savannakhet province, bringing the Lao woman along with them on the trip.
Thai police asked Lao authorities to track their movement and arrest the two men after they had illegally crossed the border.
During the Songkran holiday, all three suspects made an illegal crossing into Thailand together. On April 15, Mr Thanakrit was admitted to Nong Khai Hospital where he was diagnosed with Covid-19, police said.
Lao authorities traced the movement of the three suspects and found they had visited pubs and restaurants in Laos before returning to Thailand. Mr Chitpol and the Lao woman later tested positive for the virus. The men were additionally charged with concealing their movement timelines. Mr Chitpol was also charged with assisting the Lao woman to illegally cross the Thai border.
The trio is currently receiving treatment and they will be subject to a criminal probe once released.