Thai police detain Chinese national wanted over alleged China-Myanmar human-smuggling network

Thai police and immigration officers have detained a 40-year-old Chinese national in Bangkok and revoked his permission to remain in the country, after he was identified as a key suspect in an alleged cross-border human-smuggling network linked to China and Myanmar.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), through the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), and the Immigration Bureau, through Immigration Division 1, jointly carried out the operation against the suspect, identified only as Gao, under a revocation order dated Wednesday, 11 June 2026.

Officers found him in a corridor outside a hotel room on Pracharat Bamphen 1 Road in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. The arrest was carried out on Tuesday.

Authorities said the case stemmed from an investigation by Chinese police into a criminal network suspected of illegally smuggling people across borders. Gao is described as one of the alleged organisation’s key figures.

Since 2024, the network is alleged to have arranged for more than 20 Myanmar women to enter China illegally. It is also accused of taking more than 20 Chinese men to Yangon, Myanmar, to take part in unlawful matchmaking activities.

Investigators said the group allegedly used forged documents and false claims to apply for business visas, enabling the illegal movement of people across the borders involved.

Chinese police later launched an operation and arrested several suspects. However, Gao reportedly fled China and entered Thailand, where authorities said he sought to evade prosecution.

Chinese authorities then asked their Thai counterparts to help track him down through the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) coordination channel. The operation was handled by the Anti-Online Scam Centre, also referred to by authorities as the Anti-Cyber Scam Centre.

The centre assigned the Crime Suppression Division and Immigration Division 1 to locate the suspect. CSD officers conducted field surveillance and used investigative technology until they traced him to the hotel in Din Daeng.

A background check found that Gao had entered and left Thailand more than 21 times. Authorities said his most recent entry was under a tourist visa, used while he was evading prosecution in China.

The commander of Immigration Division 1 ordered the urgent revocation of his permission to stay under the Immigration Bureau’s “No Stay V.2” measure, which is aimed at preventing transnational crime suspects from using Thailand as a hideout.

Officers from both agencies then moved in, presented the revocation order under the Immigration Act, and took Gao into custody for deportation proceedings. Authorities said he faces charges related to international human trafficking in China and is expected to be returned there.

The CIB said the alleged conduct posed a threat to public safety, adding that transnational crime suspects often use tourist visas and stay in business districts or areas with large foreign communities in order to blend in.

Authorities also warned hotel and accommodation operators to properly report the stays of foreign guests to immigration officials. Failure to do so could expose operators to legal action if they are found to have sheltered suspects.

Police said inspections would continue, and that foreign nationals found to be involved in criminal activity could face visa revocation and deportation.