Thailand warns of the risk of Iranian spies appearing in Southeast Asia

Defendant Ghasse Saberi Gilchalan was convicted in Indonesia of using a fake passport kompas screenshots

Sheet Bangkok Post On June 6, citing a police source, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) issued secret instructions to police across the country to watch out for possible spy Iran infiltrated, after a subject was arrested in Indonesia lead to security concerns.

The source said security services were closely monitoring the movements of Iranian nationals and some Thai Muslim nationals suspected of spying in Thailand.

National Police Chief Suwat Jangyodsuk is believed to have directed relevant departments and police in all regions to remain vigilant and gather intelligence on the movements of the agents.

The directive document mentions the incident on May 24, 2021, when Indonesian authorities received information about a man named Ghasse Saberi Gilchalan coming to this country, carrying a Bulgarian passport, which was later discovered to be a fake passport.

Until three days later, Mr. Gilchalan was detained by Indonesian authorities at Soekarno-Hatta airport as he was about to go to Qatar. This person claimed to have used a fake passport to enter the country.

Indonesian police discovered that the man had entered the country more than 10 times with fake passports and the court sentenced him to 2 years in prison for the above violations.

Authorities also discovered this person had 11 mobile phones, 1 tablet, many SIM cards and more than 320,000 baht in cash (215.6 million VND). Checking the phone, the investigating agency discovered the names of some Thai Muslims.

Indonesian authorities believe Gilchalan is a spy from Iran. The defendant testified that he was assigned several times by a former Iranian diplomat in Malaysia to spy in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The last time involved lobbying for Indonesian authorities to release the Iranian oil tanker MT Horse held in this country in January 2021.

The defendant also set up a front company in Bali to cover up his activities in Indonesia. “The discovery of Gilchalan has caused a stir in some countries concerned about Iran’s secret operations and espionage. Such activities may also occur in other countries Southeast Asia like Thailand”, according to a Thai police source.

Defendant Gilchalan and the former diplomat have been to Thailand several times and also met Shi’ite Muslims in Thailand with ties to Iran.

The source said that Thailand will host the APEC meeting in November with the participation of many leaders, so security is a priority.