JK Associates principal consultant Khen Han Ming was responding to the belief by authorities in both countries that Thailand is becoming the new preferred hunting ground for Malaysian scam syndicates.
This followed the arrest of six alleged Malaysian scam artists by Thai authorities in Bangkok early this month as well as other recent cases.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd was recently reported as saying that authorities in the two countries had called for greater cooperation as more Malaysians involved with the call centre scam, or “Macau Scam” syndicates, had been sent to Thai prisons.
Speaking to FMT, Khen said the rise in the number of arrests only meant that Thailand was being proactive in cracking down on international syndicates.
“We have seen various positive developments in recent times. This is evident in the number of crackdowns on Macau Scam syndicates,” he said, adding that there was also an initiative under the Asean regional cooperation to curb trans-border crime.
“In 2017, there were at least four raids carried out in Bangkok and Pattaya, against syndicates which were found to be led by Malaysians.
“Therefore, Thailand is not becoming a safe haven for Malaysian scam artists,” he said.
He added that Thailand was doing everything in its power to counter such a situation.
“Thailand is going all out to eradicate problems like human trafficking, wildlife trafficking, weapons smuggling and others.
“After the 2015 Bangkok bombing, they have also enhanced their intelligence gathering capabilities.”
Khen, who is based in Thailand, said authorities should be concerned by the fact that Malaysian citizens were the criminals there.
“What should worry us on this issue is that there are so many Malaysians involved in international crime organisations and how they could possibly move their operations elsewhere, like Indonesia or Philippines.
“International crime syndicates could also be linked to militant or foreign terrorist groups and engage in activities, such as passport forgery, frauds, scams, and other crimes,” he said.
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