Four illegal Chinese migrants were detained after a pickup truck driver transporting them fled police, drove against traffic and fatally struck a motorcycle delivery rider in Mae Sot district, Tak province, on Tuesday. The Thai driver was arrested.
Mae Sot police said they received reports of an Isuzu D-Max pickup, registered in Tak, fleeing officers before colliding head-on with a motorcycle and killing the rider instantly. The victim was identified only as Nu, 35.
The incident began when the pickup was waiting at a red light on Asian Highway 12 (AH12), heading toward the Rim Moei Market area in tambon Tha Sai Luat. The driver reportedly spotted a police patrol vehicle, made an immediate U-turn and drove against traffic in an apparent attempt to evade inspection.
During the escape, the pickup struck the motorcycle, continued toward Mae Sot town and allegedly dropped off Chinese nationals at various locations along the route.
Police coordinated a pursuit involving patrol units and tracked the vehicle to an intersection near the Mae Sot municipality office. Officers opened fire on the pickup’s tyres, discharging about eight rounds.
The bullets punctured both the front and rear right-side tyres, while the vehicle’s bonnet was left riddled with more than eight bullet holes.
The pickup eventually lost control and stopped in a roadside area near a life-insurance office.The driver, identified only as Chai, 31, was caught along with one Chinese man found in the rear of the vehicle. Officers later tracked down and arrested three other men who had been dropped off during the chase.
Pol Col Rang Daodueng, chief of Mae Sot police station, said patrol officers became suspicious after spotting Chinese passengers inside the pickup and attempted to conduct a search. The driver panicked and fled, driving against traffic and causing the fatal crash, he said.
All four Chinese men face charges of illegal entry, while the driver has been charged with fleeing police, reckless driving causing death and assisting illegal migrants to enter the country.
