A former Chinese flight attendant studying in Thailand has been arrested in Songkhla after police accused her of acting as a broker for Chinese nationals travelling illegally between Thailand and Malaysia.
The 34 year old woman, identified by the pseudonym Pan Yudong, was among five people arrested today, October 15, as immigration officers investigated a smuggling route through southern Thailand.
The case began after Songkhla immigration officers learned that two Chinese men had crossed illegally from Malaysia and were staying at a hotel in central Hat Yai while waiting for someone from Bangkok to collect them.
Officers watched the hotel and saw the two men, identified by the pseudonyms Huang Guanggang and Huang Fu Yi, leave their room and wait in the car park.
Pan then arrived in a hired vehicle to pick them up. Pan then arrived in a hired vehicle to pick up the two men. Officers moved in, identified themselves and asked to inspect the group’s passports.
During the checks, both men admitted entering Thailand through an unofficial border crossing in Narathiwat province.
Police said Pan had been sent to collect them, arrange passports for them to carry and take them to Bangkok.
After arresting Pan, investigators found that she had earlier taken a 25 year old woman identified as Mila to Hat Yai Airport and handed her over to a local contact who was preparing to smuggle her into Malaysia.
Police later intercepted the vehicle carrying Mila near Padang Besar, finding her hidden on the back seat beneath clothing alongside a 39 year old Thai driver identified by the pseudonym Isara.
Pan and Isara were charged with helping and sheltering foreigners who had entered Thailand illegally to help them avoid arrest.
The two Chinese men and Mila were charged with entering and remaining in Thailand without permission. All five were transferred to investigators for further proceedings.
Police initially recorded the group as three Chinese nationals, one Thai national and one Vanuatu national.
Further questioning revealed more about Pan’s role in arranging cross-border travel.
Police said she had previously worked as a flight attendant for an airline in China before leaving the job to study in Thailand. While living in the country, she allegedly began coordinating travel for Chinese nationals entering and leaving Thailand through both legal and illegal routes.
Investigators are now examining whether the network was also linked to the buying and selling of citizenship after finding several foreign passports connected to Chinese nationals.
Huang Fu Yi was found with an additional Mexican passport, while further checks showed that Mila, who had been identified as a Vanuatu national, was actually Chinese.
Police also found images on Pan’s phone showing several Vanuatu passports held by Chinese nationals.
Those discoveries have widened the investigation, with police now trying to identify others involved in the network and examine the suspected citizenship-trading link.
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The story Chinese ex-flight attendant held for aiding illegal border crossings as seen on Thaiger News.