Bangkok Post
Scammers ‘moving through Thailand to new base in Malaysia’
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Police say they have detected a network set up to smuggle scammers through Thailand to Malaysia, as they attempt to flee crackdowns elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Key facts
- Investigators have seen a pattern emerging, with five arrests since February resulting in the apprehension of 26 suspects — 20 illegal Chinese migrants and six Thais — Highway Police commander Pol Maj Gen Pornsak Laorujiralai told a press
- Police say they have detected a network set up to smuggle scammers through Thailand to Malaysia, as they attempt to flee crackdowns elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
- Many of the Malaysia-bound scammers are believed to be heading to Forest City, the $100-billion megaproject in southern Johor backed by the embattled Chinese developer Country Garden Holdings.
- Malaysian police in late July raided 32 premises hosting online scam activities in Forest City, arresting 335 people — 309 of them Chinese nationals — and seizing assets worth about 1 million ringgit ($245,000).
- The project has also been beset by a variety of environmental and regulatory issues since its launch in 2016, prompting the government to introduce tax breaks and incentives in 2024 to try to lure investment and spur economic growth in
Summary
Investigators have seen a pattern emerging, with five arrests since February resulting in the apprehension of 26 suspects — 20 illegal Chinese migrants and six Thais — Highway Police commander Pol Maj Gen Pornsak Laorujiralai told a press conference on Wednesday.
Highway police stopped two vehicles in the southern province of Chumphon on Feb 7, arresting two Thais and eight Chinese people. The latter had no travel documents but carried about 150 mobile phones, he said.