Commando forces arrested a Thai interpreter who translated for the Chinese gang known as 'Chinese Tao,' a key figure behind deceiving Thais to go to Poipet. He was involved in coercing and threatening fellow Thais in many ways. He has 12 arrest warrants for intimidation and deception related to sending Thais to Poipet.
On 1 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Gen. Natsak Chawanachai, Commander of the Crime Suppression Division; Pol. Maj. Gen. Chananat Saratanvalphaet, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division; Pol. Maj. Gen. Ponsak Laorujiralai, Commander of the Highway Police Division; Pol. Maj. Gen. Theerachat Theerachatthamrong, Commander of the Protection Division; Pol. Col. Chayathipoom Amnuaychai, Chief of Division 5, Protection Division; and Pol. Lt. Col. Panumas Saengbuakao, Deputy Chief of Division 5, Protection Division, led the operation to arrest Worawut Mitcharoen, 32, under an arrest warrant issued by the Sa Kaeo Provincial Court, warrant number J.338/2565 dated 5 May 2022.
He is charged with conspiracy to deceive, intimidate, use force, abuse authority unlawfully, or use coercion by other means to take or send people outside the Kingdom, placing them under the unlawful control of others. He is also wanted under 12 similar warrants issued by the Sa Kaeo Provincial Court. The arrest took place opposite a shopping center on Phahonyothin Road, Prachathipat Subdistrict, Thanyaburi District, Pathum Thani Province.
This arrest follows a joint rescue operation on 10 Apr 2022 GMT+7 by Thai and Cambodian police who aided 24 Thai victims from Chinese employers in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and returned them to Sa Kaeo Province. The victims testified to Aranyaprathet Police Station that Worawut played a key role throughout the operation, starting as a recruiter using Facebook to post job offers to lure Thais to work in Cambodia. However, upon arrival, the victims’ phones were confiscated to cut communication, and wages agreed upon were withheld.
Additionally, Worawut served as an interpreter, receiving direct orders from the Chinese employers to control and command the Thai victims. He coerced victims to achieve daily fraud targets of 30,000 to 50,000 baht and imposed harsh rules, such as limiting bathroom use to 12 minutes; exceeding this time resulted in fines as high as 10 US dollars per minute.
On the day Thai and Cambodian police raided to rescue the victims, Worawut tried to obstruct the operation by threatening and deceiving victims, falsely claiming the rescuers were 'fake police' who would sell them to others, aiming to instill fear and prevent the victims from being repatriated. Investigators gathered evidence and issued arrest warrants for this group of suspects, leading to Worawut’s capture.
During interrogation, Worawut confessed to acting as an interpreter for the Chinese Tao group, serving as a communication intermediary and relaying orders to the deceived Thai workers. He acknowledged earning a monthly salary of 25,000 to 30,000 baht but denied recruiting or deceiving people himself, claiming he was only an interpreter. He was handed over to Aranyaprathet Police Station for prosecution, with further investigations ongoing.