Thai naval officers have detained 14 Chinese nationals who allegedly crossed illegally into Thailand from Cambodia through a natural border route in Chanthaburi, following intelligence linked to a Cambodian crackdown on transnational crime networks.
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Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, said on May 7, 2026, that the arrests were made during an operation conducted in the early hours by the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defence Command, supported by the Chanthaburi Marine Task Force and the 543rd Marine Ranger Company.
Naval patrol units were deployed at around 4.30am to monitor natural border crossings considered vulnerable to illegal entry and other unlawful activity. The operation followed reports that Cambodian authorities had inspected a Chinese network operating near Phsar Prum market in Stung Kach commune, Sala Krau district, Pailin province.
Thai authorities said the area had been associated with transnational criminal groups. According to intelligence reports, the Cambodian inspection prompted several Chinese nationals to flee and attempt to enter Thailand illegally through natural border channels.
At around 5am, officers spotted a group of suspicious individuals on a road in an agricultural area near Ban Marum, Moo 6, Khlong Yai subdistrict, Pong Nam Ron district, Chanthaburi, close to the Thai-Cambodian border. After identifying themselves and carrying out inspections, officers detained 14 Chinese men. Most were reportedly found without travel documents.
Initial questioning indicated that some of the detainees may have links to online gambling operations and cyber-scam networks based on the Cambodian side of the border. All told officers they had fled checks by Cambodian authorities before crossing into Thailand through a natural passage near Khlong Pong Nam Ron.
The men were charged with entering and staying in Thailand illegally. They were later handed over to investigators at Pong Nam Ron Police Station and immigration officers in Chanthaburi for further legal proceedings.
Parach said the case highlighted ongoing concerns that sections of the Cambodian border continue to be used by transnational criminal networks and so-called “grey Chinese” groups as escape routes and temporary hideouts.
The Nation reported that he added that the Royal Thai Navy had increased patrols, surveillance operations and intelligence coordination with other agencies to prevent Thailand from being used as a support base or transit route for illegal cross-border activity.
Pictures courtesy of The Nation
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 8 May 2026