Phumtham: BGF leader to be arrested upon entering Thailand
Phumtham Wechayachai confirms the BGF leader will be arrested upon entering Thailand. The Department of Special Investigation seeks an arrest warrant for Col Saw Chit Thu and two deputies over human trafficking charges.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated on Wednesday that Thai authorities are unable to cross the border to arrest the leader of Myanmar’s Border Guard Force (BGF). Instead, they must wait for him to enter Thailand to carry out the arrest.
Arrest Warrant for BGF Leader
Phumtham was commenting on reports that the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is seeking an arrest warrant for BGF leader Col Saw Chit Thu and his two deputies on charges of human trafficking and using Thailand as a transit route.
As of Wednesday, the DSI was still consulting with the Office of the Attorney-General regarding the issuance of arrest warrants for the three BGF leaders.
Arrest Pending Approval of Warrant
Phumtham explained that once the arrest warrant is approved by the Criminal Court, Thai authorities will monitor the BGF leader’s potential entry into Thailand and will execute the arrest as soon as he arrives.
He clarified that Thailand cannot violate Myanmar’s sovereignty by crossing the border to make the arrest. However, if the BGF leader were to visit his residence in a northern Thai province, he would be apprehended immediately.
Investigation into Police Officers
Phumtham also revealed that five police officers have been transferred from their posts pending investigations into whether they were involved in human trafficking or call-centre gangs. These officers are still presumed innocent.
Among those transferred are the commanders of three police stations in Tak’s Mae Sot, Mae Ramat, and Phop Phra districts.
The transfers are part of the Seal, Stop, Safe operation, which covers 51 districts across 14 border provinces to combat drug trafficking, human trafficking, and call-centre gangs.
