Sixth police officer surrenders in case of kidnapping of Chinese citizens in Thailand

On May 24, 2026, Lieutenant General Trairong Phiuphan visited the Wangsombun police station in Sa Kaeo province to monitor the progress of the investigation into the kidnapping and extortion case involving five Chinese citizens, in which both police officers and civilians are implicated. The incident occurred on May 17, 2026, in a residential building in the Wangmai area, Wangsombun district, Sa Kaeo province. Police had previously arrested several police officers and civilians involved in the case. Senior police representatives from Region 2 and Sa Kaeo province attended the meeting. Lieutenant General Trairong reported that an expanded investigation had identified another police officer involved in the case, who voluntarily surrendered on May 23, 2026. Thus, the number of suspects in the case has increased to seven, including six police officers and one civilian. The six police officers have been charged with several serious offenses, including: illegal extortion and acceptance of benefits by officials; abuse of power or dereliction of duty; illegal detention; and jointly committing "enforced disappearance" as public officials. The police emphasized that both criminal and disciplinary measures will be applied to those involved, and the investigation into all implicated individuals will continue. Additionally, during the investigation, police identified three other individuals suspected of participating in a transnational criminal organization and illegally facilitating illegal immigration. They are Thai citizen Siden, Cambodian citizen Liet Chih, and Chinese citizen A Long. Police stated that these individuals will face additional charges and will be sought. At the same time, police will continue an in-depth investigation into the circumstances related to the five Chinese citizens. The Thai police have instructed the investigative team, in coordination with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (Cyber Police), to trace in detail the movement of funds related to the case. If links to transnational criminal organizations are found, the charge of "participation in a transnational criminal organization" will be added.