Captured fugitive ‘Paeng Na Node’ expected to return home on Sunday

The notorious crime boss who escaped from a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat last year and was recently arrested in Indonesia is expected to be sent home on Sunday, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Tawee said he and other officials will fly to Indonesia this afternoon to discuss the extradition of Chavalit “Paeng Na Node” Thongduang, 37, who escaped his sentence of 20 years and three months in jail last year. He was convicted for trying to free a drug suspect from police custody.

The minister said Department of Special Investigation's acting director-general Yutthana Praedam will also accompany him on this trip. Tawee said Chavalit may also have committed other crimes during his time in Indonesia, including using a fake passport and assaulting a woman.

“If local authorities want to press charges, then bringing him back to Thailand will likely be postponed,” Tawee said. “However, if Indonesia rules that Chavalit only broke immigration laws, then they will likely extradite him to Thailand immediately.”

The minister added that a Royal Thai Air Force plane will be sent to Indonesia on Sunday to bring Thai officials home, adding that Chavalit may also be on board, though the flight has not yet been scheduled.

Chavalit, nicknamed Paeng and a local of Phatthalung province’s Na Node subdistrict, managed to escape in the early hours of October 22, 2023, after faking an illness and being admitted to Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital.

The crime boss has been under the watchful eye of the police since 2007 before he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years and three months in prison for trying to help one of his henchmen break out of jail. He would have completed his term on May 6.

The convict has been wanted for several cases but has always managed to escape sentencing thanks to help from a big-name politician in Phatthalung.