According to the Thai newspaper Naewna’s May 14 report, police, immigration officers, tourist police and Bang Lamung district officials inspected a private house in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, late on May 13 over suspected illegal poker gambling.
The report said three Chinese men attempted to escape by jumping from a second-floor window and were injured in the fall. Rescue workers provided first aid, while police secured the area around the house.
Officers reportedly detained 16 Chinese nationals, comprising 13 men and three women. Three rooms contained poker tables, with chips, cards, cash, food and drinking water. About 100,000 baht in cash was seized; chips representing several million baht were also reported.
The report said CCTV cameras surrounded the house and officers organized a joint operation following inquiries. The original report provided no basis for saying the surveillance equipment itself was unlawful.
The report attributed the lead to residents’ complaints about frequent visitors. Residents also referred to an earlier case involving a Chinese national and C4 explosives; that was background to their complaint, not a finding that weapons were seized in this raid. Officers were checking the 16 people’s immigration records before referral to investigators for legal proceedings.
At the time of that report, the case remained in the enforcement investigation and referral process. No court judgment was provided.
Photograph accompanying Naewna’s contemporaneous report on the suspected gambling premises.
