Last Updated on September 15, 2026 by Jeff Tomas
PATTAYA – Immigration police recently arrested a 67-year-old Chinese fugitive in the popular resort city of Pattaya. The man had been hiding from the law for over 36 years. He was originally wanted by Chinese authorities for a murder committed back in 1990.
Instead of living a quiet life in hiding, he built a massive business empire in Thailand. He used a fake Thai identity to invest heavily in the local tourism industry. His arrest uncovers a shocking story of cross-border crime, identity fraud, and corrupt officials.
Key Takeaways
- Decades on the Run: A Chinese fugitive wanted for a 1990 murder was arrested in Pattaya after 36 years of hiding.
- Stolen Identity: The suspect bought a fake Thai ID card for just 50,000 baht, adopting the name Suchart Surachai.
- Massive Wealth: He built a tourism business network worth 89 million baht and owned land valued at nearly 100 million baht.
The story begins more than three decades ago in Taizhou, located in China’s Zhejiang province. In January 1990, the suspect, identified as Chu Che Chan, allegedly committed an intentional murder. Knowing that local authorities were closing in, he decided to flee the country immediately.
First, Chu escaped across the border into neighboring Myanmar. He hid there for a while to avoid immediate capture. Eventually, he crossed the border illegally and made his way into Thailand.
Thailand offered him a chance to completely erase his dark past. However, living as an illegal immigrant was dangerous and limited his options. He needed a way to blend in perfectly with the local population.
Buying a New Life in Thailand
In 2001, Chu found a clever way to secure his stay in the country. Investigators revealed that he assumed the identity of a local Karen person. The Karen are an ethnic minority group living along the Thai-Myanmar border.
He managed to obtain a fake Thai ID card in the Phop Phra district of Tak province. According to police reports, he paid just 50,000 baht to complete this fraudulent arrangement. From that moment on, he was officially known as Suchart Surachai.
With a legal Thai name, he was free to travel and conduct business openly. He eventually relocated to Pattaya, a city famous for its bustling tourism sector. This move marked the beginning of his rapid rise to wealth and power.
Pattaya proved to be the perfect place for his grand business ambitions. Armed with his new Thai identity, Chu started investing heavily in the local tourism industry. He created a vast network of businesses that looked completely legitimate on paper.
His corporate empire included five different companies spanning various hospitality sectors. He owned luxury hotels, popular restaurants, a busy coffee shop, and a tour company. Together, these thriving businesses had a combined registered capital of more than 89 million baht.
In addition to his companies, he heavily invested in local real estate. Officials discovered that he owned 11 separate plots of land in central Pattaya. The combined value of these prime properties is estimated to be nearly 100 million baht, as reported by Thai PBS World.
A Secret Underground Treasure Room
During the raid on his luxury home, police made a very strange discovery. The house was located in the upscale Nong Prue sub-district of Chon Buri province. Officers noticed that the swimming pool at the back of the property had been heavily modified.
The pool was completely converted into a massive underground storage room. Inside, they found a huge collection of valuable antiques and rare amulets. Police immediately seized all these historical items for further examination and legal processing.
It remains unclear why he felt the need to hide these specific items underground. However, it clearly highlights the extreme lengths he took to protect his hidden wealth. He wanted to ensure his assets were safe from any unexpected police raids.
Despite his incredible wealth and perfect cover, Chu made one crucial mistake. Over a 13-year period, he changed his household registration details eight separate times. This unusual pattern likely raised some initial red flags within local administrative systems.
However, his true downfall happened when he tried to travel back to his home country. He recently applied for a visa to return to China using his fake Thai documents. Chinese authorities quickly detected strange irregularities in his official application paperwork.
Crackdown on Identity Fraud Networks
They immediately coordinated with Thailand’s Interior Ministry to investigate the suspicious traveler. This joint effort revealed that he was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued back in 2020. The hunt was finally over, and police moved in to make the sudden arrest.
This high-profile arrest has exposed serious flaws in the local document issuance system. Authorities are now urgently investigating whether Thai government officials helped Chu obtain his fake ID. The Department of Provincial Administration is taking these serious allegations very seriously.
Officials have received credible information suggesting this is not an isolated incident. Several other foreign nationals may have obtained Thai identity documents through similar illegal means. A special fact-finding committee has been established to investigate the original ID issuance in Tak province.
The government aims to identify and dismantle any criminal networks involved in identity fraud. Strict legal action will be taken under the Deportation Act against anyone found guilty. This case serves as a strong warning to criminals trying to hide in Thailand.
