Immigration police propose visa revocation and blacklisting of Chinese suspect in grey-capital hotel case, expel three Myanmar nationals, reaffirming that Thailand will not be used as a base for criminal activity.
Following the case in which police from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), through the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), launched a raid on a hotel in Nonthaburi Province that had been used as an operational base by a foreign grey-capital group for running an illegal gambling den and for consuming and distributing narcotics — resulting in the arrest of four suspects comprising one Chinese national and three Myanmar nationals, along with the seizure of a large quantity of evidence — the latest developments are as follows.
Today (27 Jul.) at 12:00 noon, at Immigration Division 3, Police Lieutenant Colonel Prinya Klin-kasorn, Deputy Commander of Immigration Division 3 and spokesman for Immigration Division 3, disclosed that in 2023 immigration officials had previously raided this same premises and arrested more than 40 gamblers, both Thai and foreign, before the hotel subsequently closed for renovation. Following the current arrests, Nonthaburi Provincial Immigration has urgently coordinated with investigating officers to verify the information of the foreign suspects, and has submitted a proposal to revoke the permission to remain in the Kingdom granted to the Chinese suspect, Mr. LIU CHAO, aged 33, and is preparing to propose placing him on the blacklist of prohibited persons so that he will be barred from re-entering the Kingdom of Thailand.
As for the Myanmar suspects, they were arrested on the charge of "being aliens who entered and remained in the Kingdom without authorisation" and will be processed in accordance with the Immigration Act 1979 and related laws, including expulsion from the Kingdom, with consideration to also be given to placing them on the blacklist of prohibited persons in accordance with legal procedures. It is hereby confirmed that government policy places importance on stimulating the economy and promoting tourism by welcoming quality tourists who travel into the Kingdom, in order to build confidence and enhance Thailand's positive image. Nevertheless, if any alien is found to have violated the law or to be involved with criminal organisations, strict legal action will be taken without exception.
The spokesman for Immigration Division 3 stated that this operation was carried out in accordance with the policy of Police Lieutenant General Phanumas Bunyalak, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, who has instructed all units under his command to intensify their scrutiny, screening, and law enforcement against aliens who exhibit behaviour constituting offences or who pose a threat to national security — particularly with regard to suppressing transnational crime, grey-capital groups, and all forms of criminal activity that exploit Thailand as an operational base.
