When police nabbed two Chinese passport forgers operating out of an official Nauru Embassy residence late last year it seemed like another small victory in the fight against Chinese organised crime in the kingdom.
Today, as it becomes clear that 15 officials have been charged in connection with the escape of the two Chinese passport forgers, a small victory has been transformed into a massive humiliation for law enforcers. The case exposes the near impossibility of making progress in a country where the cops are even badder than the so-called bad guys.
Police raided the former consulate of the Pacific island of Nauru in Bangkok late last month following allegations that Chinese citizens were squatting there. Inside officers found two Chinese men – both wanted by Beijing – forging passports for fellow nationals.
But somehow the two managed to escape with the collusion of five…
