THAI-MYANMAR RELATIONS
Thailand deports suspected drug trafficker to Myanmar

BANGKOK: -- Thai authorities, in a rare show of cross-border police cooperation, on Friday deported a suspected methamphetamine trafficker to Myanmar, where he faces an arrest warrant.

Shwe Nu, 46, was arrested in Bangkok on June 2, at the request of Myanmar anti-narcotics police who issued a warrant for his arrest last year after they discovered 171,000 methamphetamine pills in his home in Myanmar’s Shan State.

"Shwe Nu is believed to be a major supplier of methamphetamine pills to Myanmar labourers working in Thailand," said Pol Gen Phongsaphat Phongcharoen, head of Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board.

Immigration records showed Shwe Nu had entered Thailand by aeroplane 19 times in recent years.

Although Shwe Nu faces criminal charges in Thailand, Thai police agreed to send him back to Myanmar to face charges there first.

"If he gets 20 years in jail, we will ask to have him back to face another sentence here," Phongsaphat said. "If he gets life, we’ll forget about it."


-- The Nation 2013-08-16

Usually it goes the other way around or not?!

Or as the headline should probably say

"Wealthy drug Trafficker from Myanmar facing life in prison in Thailand, pulls some strings with Myanmar and Thai Police to be 'deported' to Myanmar to face non existent charges there first"

And what about his Thai contact? no Thai of any importance ever gets arrested!

money talks, and in this case lets the person walk too

If he does go to a Burmese prison, he's going to wish the Thais had kept hold of him.