Report in Thailand: Police were asked to track down Iranian citizens suspected of espionage

According to the report, a secret order instructed the police departments to remain vigilant and gather information on the movements of secret agents.

This, after the arrest of an Iranian citizen who was caught in Indonesia with a Bulgarian passport that was found forged, and suspected of espionage

News agencies

06/06/2022

Monday, 06 June 2022, 09:11 Updated: 09:39

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has issued a secret order for police departments across the country to track down spies from Iran who are reportedly in the country - after an Iranian citizen was arrested in Indonesia, a police source told the Bangkok Post website today (Monday).

According to the source, security agencies are closely monitoring the movements of Iranian citizens and some Thai Muslims, who are suspected of being spies.

National Police Chief Swat Zhangyodsuk issued the order to the special arm of RTP, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Police Bureau and all nine districts of the district police, which should maintain vigilance and gather information about the movements of secret agents.

According to the website report, the order relates to an incident from May 24, 2021, when the Indonesian authorities received information about a man named Gassem Sabri Gichalan who came to Indonesia with a Bulgarian passport that was found forged.

Tensions in Thailand.

Bangkok (Photo: Reuters)

According to the source, on May 27, the man was arrested by the Indonesian authorities at Sukerno-Hata International Airport before taking off for Qatar.

The same man apparently told police he used a fake passport to enter the country.

Indonesian police have revealed that he entered the country more than ten times using a forged passport - and the court sentenced him to two years in prison.

According to the source, the Indonesian police also discovered that the man had 11 cell phones, a tablet, several SIM cards and cash worth more than 320,000 baht.

A search of his cell phone found the names of several Thais, and Indonesian authorities believe he is a spy from Iran, the source added.

More on Walla!

Iran has released an Australian lecturer in exchange for planners of attacks against Israelis in Thailand

To the full article

Following an investigation, Gilchalan told police he had been given several assignments by an Iranian diplomat in Malaysia to act as a spy there and in Indonesia.

The latest mission was to coax the Indonesian authorities into releasing the Iranian oil tank MT Horse, which was stopped in January 2021 in Indonesian waters.

The same man also set up a straw company in Bali which he used as a safe haven for his covert activities, the source said.

Gilchalan and the former diplomat have visited Thailand several times and met with senior Shiite clerics in their country who have close ties with Iran.

• news

• World news

• Asia and the Pacific

Tags

• Iran

• Thailand

• Indonesia