The Immanuel Foundation (IMF), which assists Thais trapped abroad, confirmed on Saturday (Nov 15) that it had located the body of Suda Chonlaket, who was reported missing last week after relatives said she had been punished by a scam gang for failing to meet daily extortion quotas.
According to the foundation, Suda’s body was discovered at a Cambodian temple where preparations were already underway for cremation. The remains were subsequently transferred to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh for repatriation to her home community in Phang Nga, Bangkok Post reported.
IMF coordinators said they contacted the embassy upon learning of her death so her family could carry out religious rites in Thailand.
TORTURED
Before her death was confirmed, Suda’s relatives had alerted Khok Kloi Police in Phang Nga that she had been subjected to severe punishment after failing to meet a daily B100,000 scamming target.
She was forced to perform between 1,000 and 2,000 squats until she collapsed, her family told officers. Gang members used electric shocks to revive her, leading to her death.
Her sister, Malee Na Cholkhet, filed a police report on Nov 12 after receiving a late-night LINE call from Suda’s husband, who claimed she had been killed.
At the time, investigators said they had no evidence to substantiate the claim. Police checks showed no record of Suda leaving Thailand, and officers noted that the husband, named as Wayu Khiewpairee, could not be located.
The family has since accused Thai authorities of failing to act quickly enough and say Suda’s husband is now also missing and believed abducted.
Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has provided financial assistance and is seeking further emergency support for Suda’s family, including her bedridden mother.
ONGOING HORROR
IMF reports indicate that more than 100 Thais are still being detained, abused or forced to work at the same Poipet facility. At least five other Thai nationals are believed to have died there in recent months. Three bodies were still awaiting repatriation as of this week.
Suda’s death is the latest in a growing list of Thai fatalities linked to scam centres in Poipet. On Monday (Nov 17), IMF officials reported that another Thai worker, identified as Sarawut, and also known as ‘Toto’, had been found tortured to death in the same building where Suda died.
IMF alleged he was beaten with metal rods and shocked with electric prods on orders of a Chinese gang leader after he failed to meet his financial quota. Aid workers said the gang had planned to secretly bury his body in Phnom Penh to destroy evidence.
has seen a disturbing succession of Thai deaths over recent weeks: On Nov 4, a 28-year-old Thai woman, Suthatip (‘Mint’), was found hanged in a hotel room. Investigators have not determined whether the death was self-inflicted or staged. On Oct 29, Kanokwan Chaluaysaeng, 27, reportedly fell from a building, though relatives questioned injuries inconsistent with a fall.
Poipet, near the Thai-Cambodian border, known for casinos and call-centre complexes, has long been associated with transnational fraud networks that lure Thai workers with false job offers before detaining and abusing them.
Thai police say investigations into Suda’s case will continue under the supervision of Khok Kloi Police and senior Royal Thai Police commanders, who were alerted when her family first raised the alarm.
Authorities in both countries are now facing increasing pressure to intervene decisively before further tragedies occur.
A Fair Party MP last Friday (Nov 14) called on the government to activate bilateral mechanisms agreed at past Asean summits, saying Thailand must do more than rely on volunteers and NGOs to rescue trafficked citizens.