OAG and national police chief to oversee Tuhao triad case
The Attorney General has appointed a special committee to investigate the case of Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant, an alleged narcotics kingpin who surrendered to police on November 23 following an arrest warrant. Tuhao is suspected of links to Chinese triad operations in Thailand.
Wednesday’s order signed by Attorney-General Naree Tantasathien classified Chaiyanat’s operation as an international crime organisation and named him as a threat to national security.
It therefore ordered a special committee led by the attorney-general and the national police chief to oversee the case. The team also includes the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief and high-ranking officials from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
It is tasked with ensuring a speedy and accurate investigation to allow prosecutors enough time to prepare court cases.
Chaiyanat is a Chinese businessman who gained Thai citizenship after marrying a senior Thai police officer. Police said they suspect he is behind drug and other crime networks being operated by Chinese triads in Thailand.
Since his surrender last month, officials have raided several locations in Bangkok and other provinces suspected of being bases for Chaiyanat’s alleged crime network. They include 50 houses in two luxury residential projects in Bangkok, eight companies in Phuket, and a non-profit organisation in Chiang Mai.
More than 100 Chinese nationals have been arrested and are being questioned as part of the investigation, said deputy national police chief General Surachet Hakparn. Meanwhile 27 immigration police were found to have been aiding Chinese triads to stay illegally in Thailand.
