Key human trafficking witnesses from Padang Besar in Songkhla province have been threatened with violence if they continue to cooperate with state authorities' investigations into the human trafficking, police said.
At least two key witnesses have filed police complaints over threats from trafficking affiliates, who warned them not to provide a statement or appear in court as witnesses, said Pol Maj Gen Pawin Phongsirin, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 8 and head of the Padang Besar trafficking probe.
The witnesses were told that if they assist the state authorities, they and their family members would be attacked, he said.
Since May, 56 suspects have been arrested in the crackdown on human trafficking centred in the Malaysia-Thailand border town. Public prosecutors have one week to indict the detained suspects, making witness testimonies crucial.
Several influential suspects - including a senior ranking soldier, local officials and police officers - are being detained at a Na Thawi provincial court while another 63 suspects remain at large.
The court has approved arrest warrants for three people believed to have threatened witnesses, Pol Maj Gen Pawin said.
Police will hunt down anyone who interferes in the investigation and charge them with obstructing justice, he said.
People who threaten or prevent a witness from testifying for the prosecution can be imprisoned for 10 years and fined 200,000 baht, police said.
Meanwhile, many assets held by suspects, and sought by the Anti-Money Laundering Office, have been moved by accomplices of the suspects and authorities cannot locate them, according to the police.
In one case, luxury cars - including three Mercedes and a Porsche - belonging to alleged gang member Nutthapat Saengthong from Ranong province, have gone missing along with numerous fishing boats.
People who are holding the assets need to return them to the police, or they will face money laundering charges, said Pol Maj Gen Pawin.
