Murder Suspects from Vietnam and the United States Arrested in Bangkok

Thai immigration police have arrested three Vietnamese nationals wanted for murder who had fled to Thailand, as part of a nationwide crackdown on transnational crime, authorities announced on Wednesday. At a press briefing on 5 February, the Immigration Bureau explained that the operation was aimed at tracking down foreign fugitives who enter Thailand to evade serious criminal charges or use the country as a base for illegal activities. Over 125 foreign suspects wanted overseas were arrested in 2025–26 for crimes including murder, drugs, money laundering, and organized crime. Among the notable arrests was a 23-year-old American man wanted under a Georgia state warrant for premeditated murder and firearms offenses, who was found living in Bangkok and is now pending extradition. A 38-year-old Maldivian national was also detained under an Interpol red notice for money laundering and corruption linked to the Maldives Football Association, with damages estimated at over 50 million baht. In a separate case, three Vietnamese men wanted by Da Nang police for intentional murder were arrested while overstaying their visas in Chon Buri and Bangkok. Additionally, immigration officers intercepted a pickup truck in Kanchanaburi province carrying 51 undocumented Myanmar migrants, with the driver admitting to transporting them to various provinces and Malaysia for fees ranging from tens of thousands to over 60,000 baht per person. The Immigration Bureau stated that Thailand will continue to work with international security agencies to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for transnational criminals.