Two Chinese men detained for staying illegally in Thailand

By Phong Vu January 12, 2023 | 01:07 am PT

Passengers from China's Xiamen arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, Thailand, January 9, 2023. Photo by Reuters

Thai police have arrested two Chinese citizens, wanted in separate fraud cases worth 2 billion baht ($60 million), on the charge of staying in Thailand illegally.

Thai immigration police officers arrested a 44-year-old man in Chiang Mai Province at the request of Chinese authorities, the Bangkok Post reported.

The man, who was not named, was accused of duping at least 3,000 people into investing in his company registered in China, stealing about 1.4 billion baht from them. The suspect later fled to Thailand, according to Pol Lt. General Phakphumpipat Sajjaphan.

The Chinese man admitted that he does not have a passport and that he had illegally entered Thailand via a border crossing.

He had changed his nationality to avoid arrest and ran a business in Thailand.

Another Chinese man was also arrested in Nonthaburi Province in central Thailand for illegally entering Thailand on a tourist visa in 2019 and staying in the country until he was caught.

The man had opened a firm and lured people into investing in it by claiming the company could issue credit cards. More than 500 people fell victim to the scam, police said.

Pol Lt. General Phakphumpipat Sajjaphan said that the two men were charged with illegal entry and will be be extradited to China to answer charges there.