Thailand's Most Wanted Fugitive Arrested in Bali

Chaowalit Thongduang, one of Thailand’s most wanted fugitives, was arrested in Bali after months on the run. He was apprehended with fake identity documents. Thai authorities will escort him back to Thailand, where he faces multiple charges including murder and drug trafficking.

BANGKOK – One of Thailand's most wanted fugitives, Chaowalit Thongduang, will be escorted home by Thai air force personnel after his arrest on Indonesia's Bali island following a months-long manhunt. Chaowalit had been evading capture in connection with multiple killings and drug trafficking charges in Thailand.

He escaped Thai detention while being treated at a hospital and was arrested last Thursday using a fake Indonesian identity card. Authorities uncovered his identity shortly after he arrived in Aceh, Indonesia, from India in December via a 17-hour speedboat trip, according to Wahyu Widada, head of the Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Department.

Raided at his apartment in Bali's Badung regency, authorities seized four cellphones and several false identity documents from Chaowalit. Indonesian officials are probing local residents who helped forge his identity.

Thai Minister of Justice Tawee Sodsong, who traveled to Indonesia to meet Chaowalit, indicated that the suspect will be flown back to Thailand on a military plane on Tuesday, where he faces charges related to the murder of police officers and drug trafficking.

Additionally, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed confidence in the legal system's ability to bring Chaowalit to justice. Thailand and Indonesia's longstanding extradition agreement, established in 1978, facilitated the arrest and extradition process.

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