More than two thousand foreigners and Thais have been arrested as part of a two week crackdown by Immigration Police in Isaan.
Pol Maj Gen Natthawat Karndee, who heads Immigration Division 4 in northeast Thailand told reporters on Saturday that his officers had arrested a total of 2,274 people during the crackdown which took place between 1 June – 14 June.
Of those arrested 621 were found to have entered Thailand illegally, while 31 were on overstay. 73 were arrested for working illegally, 16 had outstanding warrants and 1,245 for other illegal activity while, 287 had been refused entry.
The arrests included 15 Cameroonians who were charged with chopping down protected trees in Korat, an Indian man who stayed in Thailand on a fake passport and four Vietnamese women who were working in a Thai massage shop.
Pol Maj Gen Natthawat also said that his men are monitoring criminal gangs from Cameroon and Colombia who are committing crime in Thailand.
He said some of the Cameroonian gang members are often armed, while the Colombian gangs are known to commit crimes such as burglary and bag snatches.
Separately a Colombian man, who stole 5 million baht of goods in Samut Prakan in May was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport earlier this week.
Also this week, head of the Thai Immigration Bureau – Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang urged anyone who knows of a foreigner involved in illegally activity in Thailand to report the matter by telephone to the Immigration hotline on 1178.
(Source: – Siamrath)