Thai cops on the hunt for 129 suspected criminals hiding in M'sia
Police in Narathiwat, Thailand are on the hunt for 129 suspected criminals believed to be hiding in Malaysia.
According to Narathiwat police chief Dusedee Susangkit, the group, who are suspected to be involved in various crimes in the province, fled to Malaysia once getting wind they were being pursued.
They are also said to be still actively carrying out smuggling activities across the border of the two countries, Dusedee said...
Police in Narathiwat, Thailand are on the hunt for 129 suspected criminals believed to be hiding in Malaysia.
According to Narathiwat police chief Dusedee Susangkit, the group, who are suspected to be involved in various crimes in the province, fled to Malaysia once getting wind they were being pursued.
They are also said to be still actively carrying out smuggling activities across the border of the two countries, Dusedee said.
"They are suspected of various offences, such as drug distribution and murder.
"We have been cooperating with Malaysian authorities to trace their whereabouts," he told Malaysiakini after a Royal Thai volunteer programme at the Thaksin Ratchaniwet Palace in Narathiwat last Tuesday.
Dusedee noted that arrest warrants have been issued for all suspects to facilitate their arrest with the help of Malaysian police.
"We are confident efforts in tracing the criminals will bear fruit from time to time. Most of them use rat lines (jalan tikus) to enter and exit the country (Thailand).
"They are also still actively carrying out their activities, especially smuggling across the border."
Drugs smuggled into M'sia
When asked to respond to discussions between Malaysia and Thailand to open up the border and allow 24-hour trading, Dusedee assured that Thai police would commit to increasing security and control.
"Those things are up to the government to decide, while we are ready to carry out our duties, especially in increasing security control with the cooperation between the two governments."
Elaborating on drug smuggling in Thailand, Dusedee admitted combatting it was a challenge.
He explained that the problem was exacerbated by the fact the country had both land and sea borders, making it a main transit destination for narcotics.
He added these drugs stocked are temporarily stocked in Thailand before being smuggled into Malaysia.
"They (smugglers) have many slick tricks to smuggle the drugs in, which are hard to trace, aided by the monitoring of touts.
"In this matter, we always work closely with authorities from neighbouring countries, especially Malaysia.
"We view the matter seriously, and heavy punishment awaits any officer or member (of the police force) found to be involved in drug smuggling activities," he stressed.
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