Somchai Khunploem, a longstanding political and underworld figure who has been wanted for several months by the police, was arrested today at an expressway tollbooth in Bangkok.
Somchai, who also goes by the sobriquet “Kamnan Poh,” was sentenced en-absentia last year to 25 years in prison for the 2003 hiring an assassin to murder Prayoon Sitthichoke, the head of tambon Samet in the Mueang district of Chon Buri. Prior to his arrest, authorities speculated that he was hiding out in Cambodia.
For years, Somchai has served as one of the leading figures in Thailand’s political and criminal spheres. His strong power base in Chonburi province had earned him the nickname “Godfather of the East.”
The Bangkok Post reports that Somchai was arrested following a visit to Samitivej Hospital and that a woman and a man, presumed to be his driver, accompanied him.
Somchai is the father of culture minister Sontaya Khumpluem. As of this time, the minister has given no indication that he knows his father is in custody.
