THE Justice Ministry said this afternoon (May 31) that a escaped Thai convict who was arrested in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday where he was found holding a fake Indonesian passport and pretended to be dumb because he could not speak the language will be brought back to Thailand on Sunday (June 2), TV Channel 7 said.
Mr. Chaowalit Thongduang, or Sia Pang Nanode, was apprehended under joint action by Thai police, Justice and Foreign ministries and Indonesian authorities.
Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong said some Thai officials had already travelled to Indonesia to coordinate with their counterparts on this case while others will be going there tomorrow to bring Chaowalit back to Thailand.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Khemmarin Hassiri, head of the police Foreign Affairs Division, who is coordinating with other police divisions, the Thai government and the Office of Narcotics Control Board on this case flew to Indonesia to hold talks with officials there yesterday.
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has said that the escaped convict could be repatriated to Thailand on Sunday (June 2).
Upon his return he will be interrogated and the Corrections Department will decide where he is to be detained in Bangkok as it is unlikely that he will be sent back to Nakhon Si Thammarat.
While serving a 20 years and six months jail term for attempted murder in 2022, Chaowalit escaped from Maharat Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital on Oct. 22, 2023 after being taken there for dental treatment but afterwards admitted upon collapsing due to leg pains. Even though he was restrained to the bed and was wearing leg shackles he escaped that night.
He managed to dodge weeks-long search for him in the jungles of Banthad mountains in Trang province during which there was a shootout with the police on Nov. 8 but he still managed to slip away.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong, right, and escaped convict Mr. Chaowalit Thongduang, or Sia Pang Nanod, left.
Front Page: Escaped convict Mr. Chaowalit Thongduang. Photos: Thai Rath
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