Last culprit of human trafficking case off Indonesian shore nabbed in Thailand

BANGKOK, November 20 (TNA) - The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in Bangkok has worked together with the Royal Thai Navy to arrest the last culprit of a human trafficking case off Ambon Island in Indonesia, after the four others have been earlier tracked down for prosecution. DSI Director-General Police Colonel Paisit Wongmuang told journalists of the update on November 19, saying that DSI has cooperated with the Navy Intelligence Department and the 2nd Navy Area Command in the Thai South to hunt for and successfully arrest the last culprit in the five-men human trafficking case. According to the DSI chief, the last culprit, identified as Thanongsak Mahasapsakorn (ทนงศักดิ์ มหาทรัพยสาคร), who was wanted under an arrest warrant issued under the criminal case and had remained at large for many months, was a mechanic working for the captain of a fishing vessel in which eight victims were forced to work off the Indonesian Ambon Island. Vice Admiral Chumsak Nakwijit, Commanding General of the 2nd Navy Area Command, elaborated, meanwhile, that he had assigned two navy ships to trace for the last culprit and successfully apprehended him aboard a fishing boat off Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in the Thai South where he was working while evading the arrest warrant. The 2nd navy area commander revealed that the last culprit has already been sent to DSI investigators for prosecution. For the case, the DSI reported that the eight victims, some of them are younger than 15 years old, escaped from the ship, where they were lured to become forced labors off the Ambon Island, and sought justice from the DSI after arriving in Thailand. (TNA)