A motorcycle delivery rider was killed during a police pursuit in Mae Sot, Tak province, on 9 June 2026 after a pickup truck carrying four Chinese nationals attempted to evade officers and drove against traffic.
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The incident occurred on the Mae Sot-Rim Moei Road near the Phattharawit intersection in Tha Sai Luat subdistrict. According to police, the pickup truck, registration from Tak, was being driven by Sakchai Trakulpriyaphong, an ethnic Hmong man from Phop Phra district, who was transporting four Chinese nationals.
Police said the driver became alarmed after spotting officers and suddenly turned around before driving the wrong way along the road in an attempt to escape. During the pursuit, the pickup collided with a motorcycle ridden by acting Wisanu Thongprathueang, 35, a delivery rider travelling in the correct direction near a private school.
Wisanu was killed instantly at the scene. Police said the driver did not stop following the collision and instead continued fleeing towards Mae Sot municipality.
As the chase continued, the suspect allegedly attempted to release the four Chinese passengers along the roadside in an effort to help them evade capture. Officers from Mae Sot Police Station pursued the vehicle and eventually fired at its tyres to prevent further danger to the public.
The pursuit ended about seven kilometres from the crash site when the pickup left the road. Police reported that all four tyres had been punctured and that the vehicle had sustained eight bullet impacts to the bonnet.
Officers arrested Sakchai at the scene and launched a search for the four Chinese nationals. Three men were later apprehended, while one person remains at large..
Picture courtesy of Daily News
Pol Col Rang Daodung, superintendent of Mae Sot Police Station, said the suspect was a Thai national of Hmong ethnicity and was believed to have been transporting illegal migrants for payment. He said the driver panicked when confronted by police and drove against traffic, causing the fatal collision.
Daily News reported that the superintendent added that officers considered the use of tyre-deflation gunfire necessary to prevent further harm to members of the public. The suspect and those arrested have been handed over to investigators for legal proceedings, while the search for the remaining fugitive continues.
Caution video shows fatal collision
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 10 June 2026