Cops bust another 42 illegal foreigners

Gang tricked Ugandan women into sex trade

A total of 42 foreigners have been caught staying unlawfully in Thailand following recent raids on 83 locations across the country, deputy tourist police chief Surachate Hakparn says.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate was speaking at a press briefing in the car park of a hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 3 yesterday.

Eleven foreigners were apprehended for overstaying their visas. Of these, six are from India, two from Uzbekistan, one each from Nigeria and Guinea and one unknown.

Busted for illegally entering the country were 31 foreigners, nine of whom are from India, seven from Myanmar, five from Laos, four from Cambodia, three from Nigeria, two from Bangladesh and one from Uzbekistan.

Another two Thais were also apprehended on other charges during the operations, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

The raids, he said, were carried out in 83 spots, including three international schools, two language schools and 30 ordinary schools.

According to the deputy tourist police commander, 26 rounds of raids have been carried out targeting foreigners who stay in Thailand illegally.

A total of 3,563 locations have been raided and 1,162 suspects arrested, he noted.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate also announced the recent bust of a human trafficking network which brought women from Uganda into the country to provide sex services.

Of 28 Ugandans interviewed by police in Thailand, three were victims of the network run by their compatriots, he said.

Warrants were issued on Tuesday for the arrest of six Ugandans allegedly linked with the gang. One of them has been arrested and detained at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Klongprem Central Prison.

Another two are still likely to be in Thailand, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

The remaining three are believed to have acted as job brokers who duped the Ugandan women into travelling to Thailand, he noted.

The gang lured the women into believing that they would be working as maids or cashier staff, he said. They were then taken to Kenya to apply for Thai visas.

Immediately after arriving in Thailand, they had their passports seized and were sent to Soi Nana on Sukhumvit Road to solicit for sex after being told they were obliged to repay debts of US$6,000-7,000 (192,000-224,000 baht) to the gang.

They were paid 1,000 baht each time for the service, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said, adding people from the gang also tried to prevent their victims from escaping.

The victims were locked up at a condominium in the RCA area in Huai Khwang district. After their 60-day visas expired, they were sent to Malaysia to sell sex services there before obtaining new Thai visas, he said.

The gang members face charges of violating the Human Trafficking Suppression and Prevention Act, which is punishable by a jail term of at least four years and/or a fine of 80,000—100,000 baht, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.

Officers will continue to crack down on human trafficking gangs to ensure the country is no longer a destination for their activities, he added.