Three Chinese arrested after illegal Thai border crossing

2026-02-12 - 02:46

SA KAEO — 12 February 2026, Thai border forces arrested three Chinese men who allegedly fled a crackdown in Cambodia and illegally crossed into Thailand through a natural border passage, officials said. Burapha Task Force commander Col. Chainarong Kasi said troops from the Aranyaprathet Task Force (Ranger Company 1204) were patrolling to prevent illegal activities near a natural pathway in a sugarcane field between checkpoints A.66 and A.67 in Ban Non Khilek village, Phan Suek subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district, about 120 metres from the border. During the patrol, officers spotted three Chinese men walking across the border through the natural channel. The officers identified themselves, conducted a search and detained the men. None had valid travel documents to enter Thailand. In initial questioning, the men said they had travelled from Cambodia, where they had previously run a medium-sized retail business. They said they decided to enter Thailand illegally to look for a location to open a shop in Bangkok. One of the three said he planned to return to China. The men told authorities they had each paid a Cambodian broker 5,000 yuan (about 22,560 baht) to be smuggled into Thailand. No smuggler was found at the time of arrest. The suspects were taken to Ranger Company 1204 for further questioning and investigation with Sa Kaeo immigration officers before being handed over to investigators at Khlong Nam Sai police station for legal proceedings.