Former flight attendant arrested in Hat Yai over alleged migrant-smuggling network

Songkhla — On October 15, 2026, Thai immigration officials arrested a 34-year-old former flight attendant named only as Pan during a coordinated operation in Hat Yai and Padang Besar checkpoint. Pan, along with four others, was taken into custody. The five suspects included three Chinese nationals, one Thai, and one Vanuatu national.

According to police, Pan and Huang, a Chinese man, were involved in helping foreign nationals enter and leave Thailand illegally. The two were found at the hotel car park in Hat Yai after arriving there in a hired vehicle driven by Pan. The men admitted they entered Thailand through a natural border crossing.

Further investigation revealed Pan had previously arranged for a 25-year-old woman named Mila to be handed over at Hat Yai airport, where she was allegedly to be taken to Malaysia. Mila, who claimed to have entered Thailand legally, was later found hidden in the backseat of a vehicle driven by Isra, a 39-year-old Thai man. Police charged Pan and Isra with assisting illegal entry.

The three foreign nationals were additionally charged with entering Thailand without proper documentation. Police are investigating possible connections to a larger network involved in passport and nationality document fraud. During questioning, Pan told authorities she had previously worked as a flight attendant in China and later coordinated Chinese nationals' travel into and out of Thailand.

Police found a Mexican passport and images of Vanuatu passports on one of the Chinese men's belongings and on Pan's phone. The investigation is ongoing.