Chinese bribery suspect arrested at Huai Khwang condo

Thai immigration police have arrested a Chinese woman, identified only as "Madame Zheng", at a condominium in Bangkok's Huai Khwang district after Chinese authorities sought her return over an alleged bribery case in Shanghai.

The woman, whose real name was withheld, was found living with her two children after China cancelled her passport. She is accused of paying more than 1 million yuan, in bribes connected with business interests and advertising rights.

Chinese embassy sought her arrest

The operation followed coordination between Thailand's Immigration Bureau and the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. Chinese authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Madame Zheng in an economic case involving bribing an employee who was not a state official.

According to the authorities, she allegedly paid the bribes to secure business advantages and obtain exclusive advertising arrangements for her company in Shanghai. She later left China, after which her passport was revoked.

Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Phanumart Boonyalak said investigators from the bureau's Investigation Division 4 traced her to an upscale condominium in Huai Khwang, an area with a substantial Chinese resident population.

Police applied to cancel her permission to remain in Thailand under Section 12(7) of the 1979 Immigration Act. The provision covers foreign nationals wanted under arrest warrants issued by officials of another country.

Search warrant executed at condo

Immigration investigators and officers from the Central Investigation Bureau's Special Operations Division, commonly known as the Commando unit, then obtained a court search warrant for the condominium room.

Madame Zheng was taken into custody without resistance inside the property. Officers said she was informed of her rights and of the order revoking her permission to stay in the kingdom.

She has been transferred to Immigration Bureau Investigation Division 3 for detention under legal procedures. Thai authorities are coordinating with Chinese representatives to hand her over for further prosecution in Shanghai.

The case is a reminder that an overseas arrest warrant or the cancellation of a passport can have immediate immigration consequences here. Thai immigration authorities can revoke permission to stay where a foreign national falls within prohibited-person provisions of the Immigration Act, separately from any eventual criminal proceedings in the country seeking their return.

Pictures courtesy of Naewna

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16 July 2026

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