BANGKOK — A Hong Kong man, wanted for murdering a fellow Hong Kong citizen, has been arrested in Pattaya, Thailand, where he had been hiding with his Thai girlfriend. Thai immigration authorities have issued a strict warning to property owners, reminding them to report foreign guests staying at their premises to prevent Thailand from becoming a haven for criminals.
On April 1, Pol. Maj. Gen. Pantana Nuchanart, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, along with Mr. Ken Lam Wing Ho, Head of the Hong Kong Interpol Office; Mr. IU Wing Kan, Deputy Superintendent of the New Territories South Regional Crime Unit; and Mr. Billy Ho Yiu Chung, Chief Inspector of the Hong Kong Interpol Office, held a press conference at the Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok to announce the arrest of a key suspect.
The arrested individual, Mr. Truong, 25, was allegedly involved in the murder of another Hong Kong man with an accomplice. The crime took place in the Fo Tan area of Shatin, Hong Kong, on March 16 at around 5:19 p.m. local time.
The victim, Mr. Tam, 52, was attacked by two men at the corner of Sui Wo Road and Lai Wo Lane and later died at Prince of Wales Hospital. Investigations revealed the motive to be a dispute over drug trafficking.
Following the incident, Mr. Truong fled to Thailand by plane, arriving at 11:27 p.m. on the same day. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of joint murder and coordinated with Thai authorities through the Royal Thai Police to locate and detain him.
The Royal Thai Police then instructed the Immigration Bureau to revoke Mr. Truong’s permission to stay in Thailand and assigned the Transnational Crime Suppression Center to track and apprehend him.
Investigators later discovered that Mr. Truong was residing in a rented house in Pattaya with his Thai girlfriend. On March 27 at 11:00 a.m., officers went to the house, formally notified him of the order revoking his stay permit, and took him into custody. He was handed over to the Immigration Bureau’s Division 3 for deportation and legal proceedings in Hong Kong.
Head of the Hong Kong Interpol Ken Lam Wing Ho thanked the Thai police for their cooperation in the investigation and arrest and noted that the suspect would now be brought back to Hong Kong to face justice.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Pantana warned homeowners, landlords, hotel operators and similar businesses in Thailand that they are required by law to report all foreigners staying on their property to the Immigration Department. Failure to do so will result in a fine of 1,600 baht per non-registered person. If the offender is a hotel manager, the fine increases to no less than 8,000 baht per unreported guest.
The Immigration Department emphasized that it will continue to monitor and enforce all forms of illegal activities, keeping an eye on both foreigners and Thai nationals.
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