Rise and fall of Thailand’s top trafficker

Facing judgment: Manas had a reputation for going beyond the law, according to Chambers, making his possible involvement in the human trafficking ring even more apparent. — AFP

Bangkok: An army “big shot” whose influence seeped across the south, Lieutenant-General Manas Kongpan sat at the apex of Thailand’s grisly trade in humans, raking in an untold fortune to keep prying eyes off the trafficking route.

As the number of desperate Rohingya and Bangladeshis who were shuttled through the trafficking operation shot up, so did Manas’ rank in the Thai military.