Thai Authorities Arrest 11 Pakistani Arms Smugglers Aiming to Supply Islamist Jihadist Groups on Bangladesh–Arakan Border

News

Global Arakan Network November 25, 2025

In one of the largest single blows to transnational arms trafficking in recent years, Thai border security forces on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, captured 36 foreign nationals — among them 11 Pakistani citizens — as they attempted to illegally cross the Thaungyin River from Myanmar’s Myawaddy Township into Tak Province, Thailand. GAN cannot independently verify the news.

Official statements and multiple regional security sources confirm the group had just completed delivery of an undisclosed quantity of weapons and ammunition inside Myanmar.

The final recipients, according to preliminary intelligence, were Islamist jihadist factions operating in the restive Arakan (Rakhine) region and along the adjacent Bangladesh–Myanmar border belt, including militant cells that have emerged from Rohingya refugee populations.

Breakdown of the arrested individuals:

• 11 Pakistani nationals (largest single nationality)

• 1 Kazakh national

• 1 Egyptian national

• 1 Chinese national

• 22 other individuals primarily from South Asia

Thai officials described the route — the densely forested stretch opposite Shwe Kokko and Myawaddy — as a long-established corridor for arms, drugs, and human trafficking. Heightened surveillance triggered by recent spikes in fighting inside Myanmar enabled the ambush-style arrest.

A senior officer from Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 3 told reporters:

“These were not simple illegal immigrants. They are professional operatives of a structured network that moves firearms and explosives into conflict zones. The presence of so many Pakistanis matches patterns we have seen in earlier cases linking South Asian supply chains to jihadist recipients in Southeast Asia.”

Investigators are treating the case as both arms smuggling and potential support for terrorism. The unusually high number of Pakistani operatives has prompted immediate intelligence-sharing with Islamabad as well as with Bangladesh and India, given the direct threat to stability along the Naf River and Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf corridor.

All 36 suspects are currently being held at a military facility in Tak Province. Forensic examination of phones, documents, and any recovered weapons is underway, while Thai authorities have formally requested Interpol assistance for background checks and possible Red Notice verification.

Charges expected to be filed include illegal border crossing, arms trafficking, and conspiracy to support terrorist entities.