1.5 Foreign Criminal Groups Operating in Thailand

1.5

Foreign Criminal Groups Operating in Thailand

Foreign criminal groups have been recorded operating in Thailand since the second half of the 19th century, starting with the arrival of Chinese Triads (Angyee). During the 1970s, major transnational criminal organizations flowed into Thailand, including groups from Europe, the Japanese Boryokudan, West African organized criminal groups, and Taiwanese and South Korean ‘brotherhoods’. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, Russian organized criminal groups (referred to as ‘Russian mafia’ by interviewees) also established themselves in the Kingdom, along with the arrival of a large number of Russian tourists. Experts estimate that there are currently hundreds of foreign criminal organizations operating in Thailand.11

This research had identified many foreign criminal groups operating in Thailand, including American, Australian, Balkan, Bangladeshi, Brazilian, Cambodian, Canadian, Chinese (including groups from Hong Kong and Macau; Chinese Taipei groups were also noted), Danish, Dutch, French, Indian, Indonesian, Iranian, Iraqi, Italian, Japanese, Laotian, Malaysian, Myanmar, Pakistani, Romanian, Russian, South Korean, Sri Lankan, Syrian, Turkish, Vietnamese, West and South African criminal networks. A previous study conducted by the Thailand Institute of Justice, based on available data had found that some Latin American gangs (notably Colombian, Mexican, Peruvian and Guatemalan) are also active in Thailand, although their implication in TOC activity has seemingly not been specifically defined.12

11 Schmid, T. (2010). The Darker Side of Tropical Bliss: Foreign Mafia in Thailand. Thailand Law Forum. Retrieved from http://www. thailawforum.com/foreign-mafia-thailand.html 12 Chitsawang, N. (2014). The Foreign Criminal Gangs in Thailand. Thailand Criminology and Corrections. Retrieved from http://www. thaicriminology.com/topics--transitional.html

The table below illustrates the types of crime that were commonly associated with specific foreign criminal groups.

Organized criminal groups by nationality or affiliation

American Balkan Bandidos (originally an American motorcycle gang, with chapters for example in Australia) Baby Goat gang (from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh) Bangladeshi Boryokudan (Japanese criminal groups) Brazilian Cambodian

Chinese Triads

Danish Dutch Other European (various EU)

French Hells Angels Bikers (Thai chapter inclusive of Australian nationals) Hong Kong, China Indian

Indonesian Crimes commonly associated with each foreign organized criminal group

Drug trafficking

Fraud involving gemstones Drug trafficking

Document forgery (counterfeiting), smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons

Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants Trafficking in persons, drug trafficking

Credit card fraud Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, wildlife and timber trafficking, firearms trafficking Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, wildlife trafficking, counterfeiting, firearms trafficking, investment frauds via call centres, frauds related to online gambling, money laundering, credit card fraud Trafficking in persons

Money laundering Economic crime, trafficking in persons, drug trafficking, money laundering, counterfeiting of currency, skim devices for credit cards, points of sale and ATMs Counterfeiting of currency Drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, trafficking in persons

Investment fraud (‘boiler rooms’) Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, document forgery and counterfeiting of currency Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, wildlife trafficking

13 A number of the listed crimes are not referred to in detail in this report as they were seldom cited by the interviewed stakeholders.

Organized criminal groups by nationality or affiliation

Iranian Iraqi Italian Laotian

Malaysian

Myanmar

Nigerian Pakistani

‘Piglet gang’ (from Hong Kong, Taiwan and more broadly China) Romanian Russian

South African South Korean Sri Lankan Syrian Chinese Taipei Thai

Turkish Ukrainian Uzbek Vietnamese Crimes commonly associated with each foreign organized criminal group

Smuggling of migrants, document forgery Smuggling of migrants Money laundering Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, wildlife and timber trafficking Trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, wildlife trafficking, investment fraud via social media, counterfeiting Drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, firearms trafficking, smuggling of migrants, wildlife trafficking, counterfeiting, money laundering Drug trafficking, economic crime, wildlife trafficking, online gambling Trafficking in persons, document forgery, smuggling of used and stolen

vehicles Smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons, investment frauds via

call centres, credit card skimming Skim devices for credit cards, points of sale and ATM Trafficking in persons, drug trafficking, money laundering, credit cards forgery, extortion Drug trafficking, wildlife trafficking Investment fraud via call centres, online gambling, money laundering Smuggling of migrants, firearms trafficking, migrant smuggling Smuggling of migrants Investment fraud via call centres Trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, wildlife and timber trafficking, trafficking in hazardous waste and chemicals, counterfeiting, money laundering, investment fraud via call centres, smuggling of used and stolen vehicles, online gambling Credit card skimming Trafficking in persons Trafficking in persons Smuggling of migrants, wildlife trafficking

The table above highlights the complexity of TOC in Thailand, as it shows the great variety in nationalities involved and the diversity in the crimes commonly associated with the different foreign organized criminal groups. It should also be noted that the size and influence of each group varies greatly. Many interviewees stressed that African, Chinese, Russian, and Central Asian organized criminal groups are particularly prevalent. However, a locally-based foreign criminal group is not necessarily synonymous with an international criminal syndicate. The journalist Thomas Schmid has observed that some of these foreign criminal groups are affiliated with equivalent organizations abroad or with large, organized criminal groups, while others formed their own independent criminal syndicate in Thailand.14

Most foreign criminal groups appear to be concentrated in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Ko Samui, in addition to border areas where there is a presence of offenders from neighbouring countries. This is because Thailand has a better infrastructure and a more expatriate-friendly environment than some of its regional neighbours, making it an attractive base for operations undertaken in other countries in the region.

Many criminal groups operating in Thailand have diversified their operations, either through the direct engagement of a single group in several kinds of criminal activities simultaneously, or through close coordination among different groups committing different crimes as part of the same network. For example, some interviewees had observed relations between drug and wildlife smugglers, firearms dealers, and human traffickers. Therefore, it is not a surprise that most criminal activities are often associated with

money laundering operations.

14 Ibid., 23.