Employers Report Police Extortion Scheme Targeting Foreign Workers
Police officers in Chiang Mai are allegedly running an extortion racket targeting foreign workers, demanding cash despite valid permits and beating those who resist. The scheme has affected dozens of workers across Mae Taeng and Mae Rim dis
Employers have exposed a pattern of extortion by officers claiming to represent Chiang Mai police, who demand cash payments from foreign workers despite valid work permits. After an incident on July 14 in which a 36-year-old Burmese elephant camp worker named Monthan was severely beaten and left abandoned by men posing as police, advocate Sangduean Chailoet, founder of Elephant Nature Park in Mae Taeng District, called for justice. The men stopped Monthan on a motorcycle, seized him and his vehicle, and left him in critical condition; he remains in a coma.
According to reports, the perpetrators are officers from Border Patrol Police Unit 33, who regularly conduct illegal checkpoints targeting foreign workers. The unit later announced an investigation and formal legal procedures against the officers involved. Business owners in Mae Rim District revealed that for months, groups posing as police have been conducting almost daily raids on villages, confiscating mobile phones, disabling CCTV cameras, and fabricating violations.
Despite foreign workers presenting complete and valid documentation, the fake officers invent pretexts for charges—such as claiming workers with agricultural permits are working outside their designated area when simply transporting crops. Workers are then extorted for thousands to tens of thousands of baht in cash to avoid prosecution, receiving no receipt. Some who refuse or lack funds are detained at a building behind a government office and forced to have their employers negotiate payment to secure release. These practices have caused widespread hardship for workers and employers alike.
