UPDATE: Escaped Prisoner in Nakhon Si Thammarat Arrested in Indonesia

Thailand –

A prominent prisoner who escaped from Nakhon Si Thammarat last year and later engaged in a gun battle with police has been arrested in Indonesia. The arrest took place on Thursday, May 30th.

Previous Stories:

1. Police are searching for a Thai prisoner who escaped while receiving treatment at a hospital in Nakhon Si Thammarat in October 2023.
2. The Thai Department of Corrections has increased the reward from 100,000 baht to 1,000,000 baht for information leading to the arrest of this prominent escaped prisoner in South Thailand.
3. A male suspect who assisted the prisoner in fleeing the hospital was arrested, though the prisoner remained on the run.
4. The escaped prisoner survived a prolonged gun battle with Thai police in the Trang mountain range.

Update:

On Thursday afternoon, May 30th, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced that the prisoner, known as ‘Pang Nanod,’ had been arrested in Indonesia. The Prime Minister stated that the Thai Minister of Justice confirmed the arrest. The Royal Thai Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collaborate with Indonesian officials.

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong provided further details, revealing that Pang was arrested in Bali on Thursday morning. He was “on vacation” in Bali when a dispute with an Indonesian woman led to police involvement and his subsequent arrest. Pang had used a fake passport to enter and stay in Indonesia. Arrangements are being made to return him to Thailand.

Officials are also investigating a possible connection to an incident on May 14th, 2024, where Mueang Phatthalung police rescued three Indonesian men who had been kidnapped for ransom by a group of Thai individuals in Phatthalung. Minister Tawee noted that Phatthalung is the home province of the prisoner, Pang Nanod, whose alias ‘Nanod’ is derived from a sub-district in Phatthalung City and his nickname ‘Pang.’

This article originally appeared on our sister website, The Phuket Express, which is owned by our parent company, TPN Media.