CHIANG RAI– Thai police have sent a team across the border to meet with police in Tachileik, Myanmar, after 24 Thai nationals were arrested at a hotel. Officials are now checking whether the group has ties to a call center scam network or online gambling operations.
Police are also looking into reports that online fraud groups may have moved their base into the area.
Police General Kitrat Phanphet, the national police chief, assigned Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, deputy national police chief and director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Center, to lead the delegation.
The team also included officers from anti-human trafficking units, cybercrime investigators, forensic staff, immigration police in Chiang Rai, and the police attaché office at the Thai Embassy in Yangon.
The group traveled to Tachileik , a Myanmar border town opposite Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, to hold talks with local police and gather information on the case.
The move followed an earlier arrest when Myanmar authorities detained 24 Thai citizens at the Kyal Dakon Hotel in Tachileik, Myanmar. The group included 11 men and 13 women.
Myanmar officials charged them with offenses linked to electronic communications. All 24 are currently being held at Tachileik Police Station while authorities investigate possible links to human trafficking and call center scam groups.
Thai officials said the delegation went to collect evidence, review witness statements, and meet the detained Thais in person. The goal was to let Thai officers question them before any return to Thailand. For now, the group remains under legal process in Myanmar, and the case has already gone to court there.
Police General Thatchai said Thai authorities have sent specialists and related agencies to help screen the group and sort out the facts. They will report back to the national police chief on whether any of the 24 Thais may be victims of human trafficking.
At the same time, they are checking for links to call center scam operations or online gambling rings. So far, investigators have not found clear evidence that the 24 were forced or tricked into crossing the border to work in Myanmar.
He also said the detained Thais are facing two charges in Myanmar. The first is illegal use of electronic media, which carries a prison term of 5 to 7 years. The second is illegal entry, which carries a sentence ranging from 6 months to 5 years. Because the penalties are serious, Thai authorities must wait for Myanmar’s legal process to finish before taking further action on their side.
Police General Thatchai added that Thai authorities have received early information suggesting some call center scam groups may have relocated to the Tachileik side of the border. Because of that, both sides are now working together to gather more evidence and identify where these operations may be based.
He said the discussion with Myanmar police focused on closer coordination and support from local officers. He also noted that past cases showed foreign nationals, especially people from other Asian countries, had been lured across the border into scam-related activity. Thai authorities said they already have evidence connected to that pattern and will continue the investigation with Myanmar officials.
