Authorities attempting to eliminate transnational criminals using Thailand as base of operations

Bangkokpost.com reported that the arrest last week of a US national suspected of stealing cash and valuables from a resort marked the start of an ambitious campaign by immigration police to crack down on transnational criminals this year. The Immigration Bureau has declared it will weed out as many transnational criminals as it can in 2013 after some of them were found to have used Thailand as a base to commit crimes, bureau chief Panu Kerdlappol said.Harris Jay Vertlieb, a 53-year-old businessman, was nabbed on Jan 9 on Sukhumvit Soi 13 in Bangkok by immigration and Koh Samui police. Read Article