A police raid in Kamphaeng Phet province on December 11 led to the detention of 15 African nationals found overstaying their visas, following an alert from an African embassy about a group allegedly confined in a local house. Authorities located the individuals—including four Namibians and one Zimbabwean—unharmed at a property in Thepnakhon subdistrict.

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The operation was launched after provincial police received distress coordinates from the unnamed embassy. Provincial Police Commander Pol Lt Gen Opas Kongmuang ordered an immediate inspection of the address. While the group’s passports were valid, their visa permissions had expired, resulting in charges for overstaying.

During questioning at Muang Kamphaeng Phet Police Station, the individuals stated they had worked as scammers at the notorious KK Park compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar, alongside approximately 300 other foreign workers. They claimed to have fled after Myanmar military airstrikes damaged the facility, escaping through Tak province into Thailand.

According to their accounts, they crossed via natural routes in Phop Phra district, trekked to Ban Phaphueng in Wang Chao district, and eventually reached Kosampinakhon district before being transported by vehicle to the raided house. The homeowner admitted to being hired by traffickers to provide food and lodging, confirming it was the second time he had hosted such a group.

Police reported that the smuggling network had planned to move the group through Laos toward Cambodia, but the raid disrupted the operation. The detainees estimated around 100 other workers from KK Park had already been relocated to Cambodia by their Chinese operators following the explosion.

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Authorities are investigating whether local facilitators were complicit in human trafficking or immigration offenses, noting that the tightly coordinated movements pointed to an organized cross-border smuggling network. Further inquiries will focus on transport routes, financial links, and potential additional suspects. Police are also coordinating with relevant embassies and neighboring countries regarding repatriation procedures.

-Thailand News (TN)