Thai and Chinese police are joining forces to crack down on Chinese criminals who settle in the country as well as those who arrive temporarily to victimise their compatriots here, according to the Immigration Bureau.
Chinese police were sharing information about Chinese criminals with their Thai counterparts so that Thai police including immigration officers could block them from entering the country, said Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the bureau.
He said the collaboration was aimed at tackling Chinese criminals who victimised their compatriots in Thailand and then escaped, as well as those who fled other countries to Thailand and established illicit businesses here.
Kidnappings for ransom of Chinese nationals in Thailand have been on the rise lately, with most of the perpetrators being other Chinese.
“Chinese police have sent information on many prime suspects who have fled to Thailand so that Thai immigration police will arrest them,” Pol Maj Gen Panthana said on Wednesday.
Chinese police have expressed gratitude to their Thai counterparts for arresting many major Chinese criminals who had been wanted in China, he said.
Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing into the activities of many suspected Chinese gang figures in Thailand. Police have gathered evidence on hundreds of Chinese nationals who obtained long-term visas with the help of corrupt immigration officers.
Investigators in March submitted a 139,000-page report to the National Anti-Corruption Commission on 107 immigration officers accused of helping Chinese nationals involved in “grey” businesses.