Thai police coordinated with Myanmar to arrest a Chiang Mai man who shot a San Kamphaeng police officer. After fleeing across the border, he hid at a friend's house—someone he knew from prison—and was brought back to Thailand to face charges. He claimed he had just been released from prison and did not want to be jailed again due to this incident.
At 11:00 a.m. on 10 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant General Kritthaphon Yisakorn, Commander of Provincial Police Region 5, together with soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force, interrogated Mr. Wipak Wongwan, 36, from Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai. He is accused of attempted murder of a police patrol officer at San Kamphaeng Police Station. The suspect used a 9mm pistol to shoot at Police Corporal Apivat Mala during a search at Ban Pa Sak Noi Road, Village 2, Mae Puka Subdistrict, San Kamphaeng district. After the incident, he stole a motorcycle from a local and fled to Mae Taeng district. He then paid acquaintances 6,000 baht each to drive from Fang district to pick him up and help him flee across the border into Myanmar. Authorities tracked and arrested three accomplices, confirming that Wipak was hiding in Nakaungmu village, Myanmar.
Provincial Police Region 5 coordinated with the Pha Muang Task Force military to pressure and track down the suspect and those sheltering him. On the night of 9 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Myanmar authorities handed over Mr. Wipak to Thai officials at Nong Khiao checkpoint in Chiang Dao district.
Police Lieutenant General Kritthaphon Yisakorn, Commander of Provincial Police Region 5, said that after the incident, police pursued the suspect for 13 days. Upon learning that the suspect had fled to a neighboring country, they coordinated with the Pha Muang Task Force and military on the other side to track, arrest, and repatriate Mr. Wipak to face justice in Thailand.
During interrogation, Mr. Wipak said that on the day of the incident, he was delivering methamphetamine in the districts of Mae Rim, Mae Taeng, San Sai, and San Kamphaeng, making nine deliveries in total. The last delivery was 400 pills to a customer in San Kamphaeng. Upon encountering the police patrol, he drew his firearm and shot at the officer to clear his escape route, not wanting to be arrested because he had just been released from prison. After the incident, he fled across the border to meet a friend named Mr. Berd, whom he met in prison. Mr. Berd’s wife lives in Nakaungmu village, Myanmar, about 100 kilometers from the Thai border, where Wipak went to meet him.
Mr. Berd’s father-in-law is a village headman in Myanmar, making him a person of considerable influence. After Wipak crossed the border, Mr. Berd helped hide him in three different locations over seven days, moving from the father-in-law’s house to the forest and a cattle pen until authorities captured him. This was done through coordination between the 3rd Army Area Commander and the Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, who worked with border officials to repatriate the suspect for prosecution.
Mr. Wipak, the suspect, had previously been imprisoned twice for drug offenses and was jailed for carrying firearms and explosives in 2024. He was recently released before committing this new offense. The gun used to shoot the police officer was left at Mr. Berd’s house. Mr. Berd is also wanted on three drug-related warrants.
Authorities plan to expand the investigation to uncover Mr. Wipak’s or "Mac's" drug trafficking network and prosecute those involved according to the law.