Thailand seizes passport of Chinese journalist who used police connections to get bribes

Guo Rui allegedly told a woman arrested in a human trafficking probe that charges against her could be dropped if she paid US$947,000

Thai police, who hired the journalist as a coordinator in part for her overseas connections, will pursue legal action against her

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Chinese journalist Guo Rui. Photo: Facebook/gegee.rui

Published: 8:00am, 31 May 2023

Thailand has seized the passport of a Chinese journalist who flaunted her connections with police top brass and sought millions in bribes to help secure the release of an organised crime group suspect.

Police arrested Guo Rui, also known as Gegee, last week and imposed a travel ban on her for misusing her working relationship with national deputy police chief Surachate Hakparn.

Guo allegedly told Navaporn Phakiatsakul, a Chinese woman with Thai citizenship arrested last month as part of a human trafficking investigation, that she could have charges against her dropped if she coughed up 33 million baht (US$947,000).

Navaporn paid Guo 14 million baht instead. The journalist has denied the allegations and was temporarily released on bail.

Thai police arrested Guo Rui, also known as Gegee, last week and imposed a travel ban on her for misusing her working relationship with national deputy police chief Surachate Hakparn (right). Photo: AFP

Police said Navaporn was the suspected ringleader of a criminal gang accused of involving in fraud and running an illegal surrogacy network in Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported.