Thai police have reported progress in the case of a Chinese man hiding weapons, indicating that the cache of arms is related to infighting within a Cambodian scam gang, confirming there were no intended targets for destruction in Thailand, and that they will review the visa screening system.
At 10am on May 12, a spokesperson for the Thai National Police announced that the case involves a 31-year-old Chinese man, Mingchen Sun, who was discovered to be hiding a large cache of weapons—including C4 explosives, M16 rifles, and multiple fragmentation grenades—following a car accident in Chonburi Province. Forensic and digital evidence checks revealed that since the end of last year, he had chat records, weapons training, and was accumulating arms. All evidence points to links with a Cambodian scam group, with the primary motive being to deal with intense internal gang conflicts.
The police spokesperson stated that existing evidence does not indicate that the suspect or the group planned to carry out attacks or harm the Thai public in Thailand. The suspect claimed to suffer from depression and had amassed weapons for the purpose of suicide; this is within his right to testify, but police will use forensic evidence as a legal basis.
The police anti-money laundering division and cybersecurity bureau have thoroughly investigated the suspect’s finances, discovering tens of millions of baht in transactions, directly linked to bank and cryptocurrency accounts used for fraud by the Cambodian scam gang.
Police stated that they are conducting further investigations into companies registered by the suspect and his ex-wife, as well as the reasons for their marriage registration. Regarding immigration status, the suspect entered legally, holding Chinese and Cambodian passports and a PE (Privilege Entry) Visa (Wealth Visa), and also possesses long-term residency in South Korea.
The police will use this case as an example to coordinate with visa-issuing authorities and may introduce a foreigner rating system in the future to prevent criminals from exploiting financial privileges to enter the country. Regarding the report of an official soliciting a 2,000 baht bribe (about 243 MYR) to forge pink card information, this is considered an individual behavior and will be dealt with seriously.
So far, a total of six suspects have been arrested, including one government official. The police have initiated disciplinary and criminal investigations into the official involved. The origin of weapons such as the M16 rifle has been traced for at least one of them, and investigations into the smuggling process are ongoing.
Police emphasized that Thailand is not a base for transnational crime or so-called “grey” Chinese capital, but its geographical position bordering Cambodia and its status as a tourism hub may be exploited. Thailand has cooperated with China and Cambodia to combat such networks and confirmed there has been no foreign interference in its sovereignty.
The suspect, under stress, has fasted for three consecutive days and experienced convulsions and shock, and has been sent to hospital for treatment. He is currently in stable condition but requires 24-hour close monitoring.