Chinese Migrants Caught After 120k Chase to Bangkok

Thai highway police arrested a Thai driver and three Chinese nationals after a pickup truck carrying the migrants led officers on a 120-kilometre pursuit from Prachin Buri to Bangkok.

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The operation was carried out by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Highway Police Division. At about 5am on 12 June 2026, officers on Highway 359 in Prachin Buri spotted a suspicious pickup travelling at high speed. Police signalled for the vehicle to stop, but the driver allegedly ignored the order and fled.

Officers pursued the vehicle and called for reinforcements as it travelled along Highway 304 through Prachin Buri and towards Chachoengsao. The chase continued until the vehicle entered the Suwinthawong area in Nong Chok district, Bangkok, where highway police units carried out a tactical manoeuvre to force it to stop near kilometre markers 47-48 on Highway 304.

Police identified the driver as 51-year-old Sombat Phra Pho and found three Chinese nationals travelling in the vehicle: Li Ming Xiang, 21, He Zhi Xing, 34, and Pu Hong Bing, 23. Officers seized then Isuzu pickup truck registered in Bangkok and a Samsung Galaxy A06 mobile phone.

Investigators said the three Chinese nationals could not produce passports or travel documents. Further checks indicated they had entered Thailand illegally. The driver was charged with helping illegal migrants evade arrest, while the three passengers were charged with unlawful entry into the Kingdom.

During questioning, Sombat allegedly admitted transporting the migrants from Mueang Phai subdistrict in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, towards Bangkok and surrounding areas. He told police he was paid 3,000 baht per person and had been hired by a Thai man known only as Tao. He also named two alleged accomplices, identified as Oum and Grant, who remain at large.

Pictures courtesy of Amarin

Sombat told investigators he fled after becoming frightened when he saw the police emergency lights. The three Chinese nationals stated through an interpreter that they had crossed into Thailand from Cambodia through a natural border route earlier that morning. They said they were travelling to Bangkok before continuing on to Myanmar.

Amarin reported that police transferred all four suspects and the seized items to Suwinthawong Police Station for legal proceedings. Investigators said efforts are continuing to identify and arrest others believed to be involved in the smuggling operation.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Amarin 15 June 2026

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