Police have reported they arrested 587 criminal suspects in provinces beyond Bangkok in the interest of securing the 2026 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group meetings in the capital.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, assistant commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said on Wednesday that police from the Provincial Police Regions 1, 2 and 7 conducted the arrests in 25 provinces on Tuesday morning to prevent any possible crime from affecting the international meetings.
According to Pol Lt Gen Trairong, the Provincial Police Region 1 carried out the proactive crime prevention operation in nine provinces, namely Chai Nat, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Samut Prakan, Saraburi, Sing Buri and Ang Thong.
Its officers arrested 160 criminal suspects. Of them, 126 were detained for drug abuse and possessed a combined 2,753 methamphetamine pills along with amounts of crystal meth and ketamine. Three others were arrested for driving under narcotic influence with three more apprehended on firearm offences.
The Provincial Police Region 2 arrested 289 suspects in Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Trat, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Rayong and Sa Kaeo. The suspects included 35 illegal immigrants and 18 people wanted under various warrants. Police seized from them 15 guns, a grenade and 589 kilogrammes of crystal meth.
The Provincial Police Region 7 swept through the eight provinces of Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Suphan Buri and Samut Sakhon.
On top of 138 suspects taken in, the operation also netted 22 guns, 76 bullets, 14,051 speed pills, seven vehicles and small amounts of crystal meth, heroin and ketamine.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has also banned the use of drones in Bangkok on Friday to further secure the IMF-World Bank Group meetings. The restriction has been set from 12.01am to 11.59pm on Friday.