Repatriation of ‘Public Enemy No 1’ Chavalit to cost THB600,000

Thailand will spend 600,000 baht to fly back a fugitive crime boss whose escape from detention in October sparked a nationwide manhunt and shootout with police, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said on Monday.

Tawee spoke to reporters at Government House a day after returning from Jakarta, where he met with the recaptured Chavalit “Paeng Na Node” Thongduang at the Thai Embassy. 

The justice minister said he had briefed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on preparations to extradite Chavalit. 

The 37-year-old crime boss was serving a 20-year sentence and awaiting trial for attempted murder when he escaped last October  

Tawee said Srettha had ordered the Air Force to fly Chavalit back to Thailand to save money on a commercial flight and ensure security.

He added that Thailand’s law against enforced disappearance and torture required that the operation be recorded on video, ruling out a commercial flight where other passengers may object to being recorded.

Tawee said the 600,000-baht cost included fuel for the flight and the airport parking fee.

Chavalit escaped from detention on October 22 last year after faking an illness and being admitted to Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital. 

In December, the Phattalung Court sentenced him in absentia to life in prison for his role in the attempted murder of a court official in 2019.

Tawee said Chavalit would be flown directly to Nakhon Si Thammarat where he would first attend court to receive the penalty for his escape.

He will then appear at the Phatthalung Court to acknowledge the attempted murder verdict.

The justice minister said he has tasked the police force and Corrections Department with detaining Chavalit during the court process before he is sent to a maximum-security prison.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Indonesian authorities in Jakarta on Sunday, Tawee said Chavalit would be detained at a police station in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Tuesday before appearing in court in Nakhon Si Thammarat then Phatthalung.

The Corrections Department chief would decide by Thursday where Chavalit will be held, with one option being Bangkok’s maximum-security Bang Kwang Central Prison.

“It has to be maximum security because if he escapes again, the public will reprimand us. It was very difficult to recapture him so we must be more careful,” Tawee said during the Jakarta press conference.

Chavalit appeared relaxed and smiling as he sat next to the justice minister at the press conference, at one point even praising Tawee for managing to recapture him.

“I must say the justice minister is good. He managed to track me down. I flew to Bali and he was still able to arrest me,” Chavalit beamed, revealing that he had travelled through three or four countries before reaching Indonesia.