The four fishing vessel crew from Thailand who were detained in late November by Myanmar soldiers for allegedly invading Myanmar waters weren’t among 151 Thai prisoners released by Myanmar on Saturday.
The 151 Thais were repatriated back to Thailand through the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Chiang Rai on Saturday afternoon, said Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, senior inspector general of the Royal Thai Police and director of the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT).
“We have coordinated with Myanmar authorities for an urgent flight to bring 151 Thai nationals back home to assist victims and expand efforts to apprehend online gambling and call center scam gangs,” he said.
Thatchai and other senior police on Saturday travlled to the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district to wait for the arrival of the Thai prisoners.
Following the arrangement with Myanmar authorities to repatriate the Thai nationals, Thatchai said, he was assigned by Police General Kittharath Punpetch, commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police, to oversee this case.
Once back in Thailand, the 151 Thais will undergo a screening process to determine who were victims deceived into the operations and who were active members of online gambling or call center scam gangs.
The Thai police have records of individuals involved in these criminal networks, some of whom falsely claim to be victims to avoid prosecution.
Thatchai has instructed officers from the PCT and state authorities to investigate and prosecute all those involved.
The Thai prisoners were among the about 180 foreign prisoners in Myanmar who were released in the neighboring country’s annual amnesty to mark its independence day, according to reports by Myanmar media.
In total, 5,864 prisoners were released on Saturday, Myanmar junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told local media, adding of this number, 600 were Myanmar politicians and 180 were foreigners.
And of the 180 foreign prisoners released, most were Thai and Indonesian nationals who had been arrested either in Myanmar’s Tachileik town for being involved with illegal online gambling or elsewhere for illegal fishing in Myanmar waters, Zaw Min Tun said.
These prisoners had been serving their sentences for some time before their release, said Myanmar media.
The spokesman, however, didn’t mention the four Thai crew members on the Thai fishing trawler detained by Myanmar soldiers in the sea off the southern Thai province of Ranong last year.
Previously, Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told the media the four Thai fishermen would be freed by Jan. 4.
His assurance was also followed by a hopeful remark on Dec. 19 by Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa who said he expected the release of the four Thais to come soon.
Earlier, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had also hinted the good news about the anticipated release of the four Thai nationals should come slightly after the New Year.
The four were captured following a gun attack on 15 fishing boats off Ranong on Nov. 30 by Myanmar patrol boats.
During the attack, one crew member of a fishing boat jumped into the sea and died.
Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub on Saturday declined to comment on the matter, while Phumtham couldn’t be reached for comment. It is unclear if they can still expect an early New Year release of the four.
Saturday’s development prompted Nipit Intarasombat, a former Democrat MP from Phatthalung, to reiterate his questions to the government about the violent attack on the fishermen.
He asked whether it was true the Thai fishermen had invaded Myanmar maritime territory before they were detained and whether legal assistance by the Thai government had been provided to the four fishermen.
This article first appeared in The Bangkok Post.
