Picture courtesy of Matichon

Immigration police have arrested a Chinese national accused of embezzling more than 10 million baht from a bank in China and fleeing to Thailand. The suspect, identified as Yao Ming, 38, was detained in Pattaya, Chonburi province, after officers found he had entered and remained in the Kingdom without permission.

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On 11 February, Pol Maj Gen Songprod Sirisukha, commander of Immigration Division 3, along with Pol Col Chinawut Tangwongslerd, deputy commander, and Pol Col Suriya Phuangsomboon, superintendent of the investigation division, ordered officers to investigate after receiving a tip-off from a Chinese informant. The intelligence indicated that a Chinese suspect had fled to hide in the eastern tourist region of Thailand.

Pol Col Suriya led a team to conduct surveillance for two weeks. Officers discovered that a suspicious Chinese man was staying at a condominium in Pattaya and had reportedly used a Chinese identity card, rather than a passport, when contacting the building’s management.

On 9 February, Pol Lt Col Thongthai Phairoh observed the suspect leaving his room and approached him to inspect his passport. He was identified as Yao Ming, aged 38. Checks of his passport and the biometric system found no record of entry into Thailand, leading officers to charge him with entering and staying in the Kingdom without permission before handing him over to investigators for legal proceedings.

Yao Ming had previously worked for Lanzhou Bank in China. In 2025, while serving as a branch manager, he allegedly used dormant deposit accounts under other individuals’ names to falsify transactions and transfer funds amounting to 2.2 million yuan, equivalent to more than 10 million baht, before withdrawing the money and fleeing China.

Matichon reported that after leaving China, he reportedly hid in neighbouring countries including Laos and Cambodia before being tracked down and arrested by Thai police. Authorities have not disclosed further details regarding possible extradition proceedings.

Key Takeaways

• A former Lanzhou Bank branch manager accused of embezzling  2.2 million yuan was arrested in Pattaya on 9 February.

• Immigration checks found no record of his legal entry into Thailand, leading to charges of illegal entry and stay.

• The arrest followed a tip-off from a Chinese informant and a two-week surveillance operation in Pattaya.

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Join the discussion?

  Adapted by ASEAN Now Matichon 13 Feb 2026

On 2/13/2026 at 5:26 AM, Georgealbert said:

Checks of his passport and the biometric system found no record of entry into Thailand

So the TDAC system didn't work?

2 minutes ago, mikebell said:

So the TDAC system didn't work?

Seems no stamps either, probably snuck in.

2 minutes ago, mikebell said:

So the TDAC system didn't work?

you know that old chinese saying....."rich man can pay his way in...but sometimes cannot pay his way out"...🤣

21 hours ago, mikebell said:

So the TDAC system didn't work?

Probably not required for those stomping through the jungle in remote border areas.

23 hours ago, marin said:

Seems no stamps either, probably snuck in.

Exactly my point. TDAC is a useless waste of time and resources, particularly for long-term expats. Before hordes of people tell me how easy it is, it took me hours trying to do it on a slow internet connection in Spain on a very old phone. It would not allow me to input my Thai phone number but was happy with a bogus UK one.