Police Raid in Kamphaeng Phet Finds Overstaying Foreign Suspects

Pictures courtesy of MGR

Police in Kamphaeng Phet detained foreign nationals on 11 December after an African Embassy alerted authorities to a group claiming they were being confined in a house in Mu 8, Thepnakhon subdistrict. Officers located the property and found 15 Africans, including four Namibians and one Zimbabwean, all unharmed but overstaying their visas. The group told police they had escaped an explosion at KK Park in Myawaddy, Myanmar and were awaiting onward transport to Cambodia arranged by a Chinese-led network.

Police launched the operation after receiving the distress coordinates from the unnamed African Embassy earlier that evening. Provincial Police Commander Pol Lt Gen Opas Kongmuang ordered investigators and local patrol units to inspect the address. Passports were valid, but visa permissions had expired, resulting in charges for remaining in Thailand beyond authorised temporary stay.

Investigators transferred all the individuals to Muang Kamphaeng Phet Police Station for questioning under Pol Col Somkasem Jaruk, with Pol Lt Col Natthawut Singpha assigned as the case officer. Initial statements indicated the group worked as scammers in KK Park alongside roughly 300 foreign workers. They said Myanmar military airstrikes damaged the compound, prompting their flight through Tak province.

The group reported crossing into Thailand via Phop Phra district before trekking to Ban Phaphueng, Wang Chao district, and continuing through natural routes into Kosampinakhon district. They were then collected by vehicles and housed at the location raided by police. The homeowner admitted to being hired by traffickers to provide food and lodging and said this was his second time hosting such groups.

According to police, the network planned to move all the foreigners later across Laos toward Cambodia, but the operation was disrupted by the raid. The individuals said around 100 KK Park workers had already been reassigned to Cambodia by the Chinese operator following the explosion. They described being ferried across the Moei River in groups of ten before travelling by pickup truck and on foot to temporary mountain shelters.

The first group reportedly entered Thailand at 18:00 on 10 December, while the second arrived at 01:00 on 11 December. Officers are now examining whether local facilitators were knowingly involved in human trafficking or immigration offences. Authorities said the tightly controlled movements indicated the presence of an organised cross-border smuggling network.

Further investigations will determine the full scope of the operation and whether additional suspects assisted in the transfer. Police are also coordinating with foreign embassies and neighbouring countries on repatriation processes. More arrests are possible as officers track transport routes and financial links used by the network.

Key Takeaways

• Police detained foreign nationals linked to KK Park who had overstayed their visas.

• The group said they fled a Myanmar military strike before being moved through Thailand by traffickers.

• Authorities are investigating local facilitators and cross-border network connections.

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 Adapted by Asean Now from MGRonline 2025-12-12