Soldiers specialised in jungle navigation have been deployed to assist in the manhunt for the escaped and armed prisoner Chaowalit Thongduang, who is believed to be hiding in the Banthad mountain range in Trang province.
Military personnel from Naresuan Camp in Phetchaburi province arrived on Saturday morning in Trang to reinforce the effort to capture 37-year-old escapee, also known as Sia Paeng Nanod.
Initially, more than 30 motorcycle officers from Trang provincial police were dispatched to the scene, where they face the challenges of dense jungle terrain and heavy rains.
Authorities have been conducting the search on foot in the mountains, as vehicle access is not feasible.
Additional officers from the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have also joined the operation, and police have expressed confidence that they will capture the escaped convict soon.
To facilitate the operation, local residents who normally would be foraging for food in the forested area have been asked to leave and avoid the mountain range for the next two days.
Warrants have also been executed on the homes of some residents suspected of aiding Chaowalit, who was being held on charges of suspected murder before escaping while receiving medical treatment.
Police from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) searched the house of a cousin of Chaowalit, identified only as Kasidchart, in tambon Nanod of Muang district in Phatthalung after learning that he had abetted the escape.
The officers seized two mobile phones from him to examine his call and message history for possible links to the escapee.
He was taken to the Muang district police station for questioning as police prepared to press charges, according to the CIB.
On Wednesday, Chaowalit managed to flee after he and his men, whose number and identities were not clear, were involved in a shootout with police in his hideout in the mountainous region of Trang.
According to police, the prisoner and his men were armed with war weapons and more than 600 rounds of ammunition.
Chaowalit was serving time for attempted murder and faced multiple other criminal charges, including murder. He fled from Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital on Oct 22. He had been taken there for dental treatment and was subsequently admitted after collapsing, claiming he had severe leg pains. Despite being restrained to the bed and wearing leg chains, he escaped overnight.
Chaowalit was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison last year by the Phatthalung Provincial Court for attempted murder in connection with an armed attack on police during an attempted abduction on Sept 2, 2019, in the southern province.
He began serving his sentence at Phatthalung Prison in January 2022 and was transferred to Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison on Aug 7 this year.
Police question a cousin of prisoner Chaowalit Thongduang during a search of his house in Phatthalung province on Saturday. (Photo: Central Investigation Bureau)
Chaowalit Thongduang, alias Sia Paeng Nanod, escaped from Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital on Oct 22, with help from several others who have since been arrested. (Photo: CCTV Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital)