The government is ready to repatriate film director and renowned fight choreographer Ramai "Danny" Moriphan, who was kidnapped in Myanmar over his alleged links to a drug trafficking syndicate, assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, said on Monday.
However, he also said the police will file the appropriate charges against Ramai, 40, if his kidnapping is found to be linked to illegal activities.
It was thought Ramai was kept hostage in the Mong Tong township in Myanmar's Shan state, about 150 kilometres from the Thai border.
It was reported that Ramai was invited to the border town of Tachileik in Myanmar for a film-directing opportunity that failed to materialise. While other crew members decided to return to Thailand, Ramai was approached by someone called Chai, an influential businessman in Wa State and offered a different job. He disappeared soon after.
News of his kidnapping grabbed headlines early last month when a Facebook page named "JB Family Channel" uploaded a post that claimed Ramai was taken hostage by United Wa State Army (UWSA).
Ramai: Pursued directing opportunity
Pol Lt Gen Surachate said Ramai was released by the UWSA on Sunday and is currently with Myanmar military officials in Tachileik. He said Ramai has been examined by doctors, who gave him a clean bill of health. Ramai is currently being questioned by Myanmar officials, who are trying to ascertain his motives for travelling to Myanmar, he added.
However, Myanmar authorities have yet to provide any evidence that Ramai was indeed in their custody in Tachileik. The Thai-Myanmar Township Border Committee, which oversees border issues, also said on Monday that it had yet to be informed about a planned deportation of a Thai citizen.