“Grey Chinese” crime bosses exposed as VVIPs inside Bangkok prison, sparking urgent shake-up

A lightning transfer of the Bangkok Remand Prison chief has pulled back the curtain on how wealthy “Grey Chinese” inmates allegedly turned parts of the facility into a private paradise, complete with luxury perks, contraband and protected zones—forcing the Corrections Department to launch a full-scale probe.

For years, Thai prisons were rumoured to harbour only local “godfathers”. Now, evidence suggests they also host “heavenly” Chinese crime bosses who have allegedly bought VVIP status behind bars.

On November 20, 2025, the Justice Ministry abruptly transferred the chief of Bangkok Remand Prison, triggering a political and public firestorm.

The reason: allegations that the warden and a network of officers had granted special privileges to “Grey Chinese” inmates—Chinese nationals linked to transnational crime and online scam syndicates—prompting a wave of complaints from Thai prisoners and other inmates.

Special raid after years of leaks

According to information obtained by Nation Online, the transfer was not an isolated decision. It followed a secret “special team” raid on Bangkok Remand Prison, carried out without prior notice to local staff, after repeated attempts to investigate had been sabotaged.

Authorities had long faced difficulties gathering evidence. Whenever checks were planned, “moles” inside the prison allegedly tipped off those involved, allowing contraband and illicit items to be removed or hidden in time. Complaints from inmates—especially Thai prisoners who claimed they were being bullied or treated as second-class—had been arriving for several years, coinciding with the arrest and detention of several high-profile “Grey Chinese” suspects.

One emblematic case involved She Zhijiang, the alleged “scam city kingpin” behind the Shwe Kokko complex in Myawaddy, Myanmar, opposite Tak’s Mae Sot district. During 2022–2023, while he was being held at Bangkok Remand Prison pending extradition proceedings requested by China, She was the subject of numerous complaints about blatant VIP treatment, including:

• Acting as de facto leader of all Chinese inmates, wielding influence over others.
• Being allowed to keep his hair long, unlike other inmates who must wear crew cuts.
• Skipping headcounts and group activities, in defiance of normal regulations.
• Hiring Thai prisoners as personal attendants, using money and influence.
• Enjoying hotel-style amenities, including large speakers and sound systems.
• Smoking cigars inside the prison.
• Eating high-end food brought in from outside.
• Allegedly paying around 100,000 baht per “favour” to those responsible for granting privileges.

Those complaints eventually led to She being transferred to Klong Prem Central Prison in an attempt to ease tensions. However, several other “Grey Chinese” inmates remained at Bangkok Remand Prison, allegedly with vast financial resources to buy comfort and influence. Complaints of unfair treatment and intimidation by their henchmen continued to multiply.

On November 12, 2025, She Zhijiang was finally ordered extradited to China by the Appeal Court, and was escorted onto a flight by the “Hanuman” special operations unit. But his departure did not resolve the deeper structural problems.

Secret zones, forbidden luxuries and a “paradise” behind bars

Under orders from the permanent secretary for justice, a covert special raid was eventually mounted, yielding what officials describe as “clear, physical evidence” of rule-breaking inside the prison—particularly in zones dominated by “Grey Chinese” inmates.

Investigators seized a raft of prohibited items, or “forbidden articles”, broadly divided into two categories:

Personal contraband found in inmate areas, including:

• Sharp objects and blades
• Cigarettes
• Lighters
• Condoms

Many of these were discovered in rooms and zones controlled by “Grey Chinese” inmates, which had effectively become private “kingdoms” inside the prison.

Electrical appliances and comfort items, such as:

• Microwave ovens
• Electric kettles
• Special bedding and other amenities

These items cannot lawfully be brought into prison except via two channels:

As donations, which must be registered as shared communal property under prison control.

As staff possessions, brought in under the pretext of personal use but allegedly diverted to serve selected inmates.

Officials also found evidence that parts of the facility had effectively been turned into “special zones”, accessible mainly to privileged “Grey Chinese” inmates, where they could use these appliances and amenities in private.

Separate reports allege that premium food, cigars and expensive drinks such as wine were regularly sent in through corrupt officers willing to accept bribes. Within these influence zones, the inmates allegedly dined on special dishes, listened to music, smoked cigars and gambled daily, mostly card games.

Sources stress that privileged treatment was not reserved exclusively for “Grey Chinese” inmates. Major drug traffickers with deep pockets were also said to enjoy similar advantages.

A former senior Corrections Department executive told Nation Online that many of the seized appliances and items were unlikely to have been kept in regular cells, but more probably in staff offices or specially prepared rooms that were quietly opened to favoured inmates.

On sensational claims that “Grey Chinese” inmates even paid to have Chinese models sent inside to entertain them in secret rooms, the former official said he could not confirm whether such hidden rooms actually exist. However, he acknowledged that contraband can reach inmates when smuggled in via staff or through weak points in screening, and that personal items such as cigarettes, lighters and sharp objects are obtainable inside prisons if one has the money—though he insisted such violations are routinely investigated and punished.

Warden’s background and the Thaksin hospital case

The scandal has also revived interest in the career of Manop Chomchuen, the Bangkok Remand Prison chief who has now been transferred.

On June 13, 2025, Manop appeared as the first witness before the Supreme Court panel probing the controversial decision to house former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on the 14th floor of Police General Hospital instead of in a standard prison ward. Manop testified that he only assumed the post of Bangkok Remand Prison chief on November 20, 2024, after Thaksin had already been transferred to the hospital on August 23, 2024, and said he had no knowledge of Thaksin’s prior treatment overseas.

He explained that upon admission, Thaksin was classified as a “608 inmate”—over 60 years old with multiple (eight) chronic illnesses—meaning he could be treated inside prison but could also be transferred to an outside hospital in emergencies. Manop also detailed standard procedures for sending inmates to external medical facilities.

Before his latest transfer, Manop’s career at the Corrections Department included posts at the Office of Justice Affairs, a stint as secretary to the department, and appointments as prison chief in Buriram, Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan, before he was promoted to head Bangkok Remand Prison.

Corrections Department launches full probe

The current shake-up stems from an order signed by Pongsawat Neelayothin, permanent secretary for justice, on November 20, 2025, transferring Manop out of Bangkok Remand Prison following the surprise raid and the discovery that some officers were complicit in wrongdoing.

The Corrections Department later issued a statement confirming that:

The raid uncovered evidence that certain officers had violated regulations in their handling of inmates.

The prison chief and at least 14–19 officers responsible for supervising “Grey Chinese” detainees in three separate zones have been urgently transferred.

A fact-finding committee—including inspectors, officials from the Penology Division, Human Resources and the disciplinary unit—has been dispatched to examine every allegation in detail.

Initial findings confirmed that some Chinese inmates wielded influence over others, sparking resentment among Thai prisoners and triggering direct complaints to both the Corrections Department and the Justice Ministry.

The department says it is now enforcing its “Five Steps of Change” policy, emphasising transparency, fairness and strict adherence to regulations. Officials insist that disciplinary action will be taken against any staff found guilty, to protect the integrity of Thailand’s correctional system.

How the system was allegedly gamed

Investigators are also examining how contraband and appliances entered the prison. Preliminary reports indicate:

Microwaves and other electrical items were often labelled as “donations”, brought in ostensibly for general use but allegedly diverted to zones used by “Grey Chinese” inmates.

Some items were declared as personal property of guards, then quietly made available to selected inmates.

Foreign women, including those described as “model-like”, were reportedly able to visit Chinese inmates regularly because prisons struggled to verify family links for foreign nationals, sometimes allowing entry when visitors appeared to be of the same nationality.

There is also evidence that Thai inmates capable of speaking some Chinese were hired as personal assistants by “Grey Chinese” prisoners, while the three detention zones holding Chinese inmates were internally stratified so that group leaders stayed together in one zone, with subordinates housed separately.

The scandal has exposed not only the power and reach of “Grey Chinese” crime networks inside Thailand’s justice system, but also deep structural vulnerabilities in prison management—vulnerabilities that money, influence and collusion have turned into a lucrative channel for turning punishment into privilege. Whether the current shake-up will be enough to dismantle those networks remains to be seen.