Sanit said Monta’s former Laotian made, identified only as Kabkaew – whom she accused of stealing Bt2.9 million – told police in Chiang Rai province on Monday that she worked with Monta in 2014 for wages of Bt6,000 to Bt8,000. However, she said, this figure was further reduced despite the hard work. When Monta had her go out to buy medicines one day, she fled to a relative in Chon Buri and escaped to Laos via Mukdahan, she told police.

Sanit said that since Kabkaew had come forward to fight the theft allegations, he would ask police investigators to cancel the arrest warrant issued in her name and have it deleted from the criminal database as it was nullified now that the suspect has surrendered.

“Now Kabkaew can cross the border to Thailand and bring her ailing child to see a doctor on the Thai said. She was so happy that she burst into tears,” Sanit recalled.

He said police would now file an additional charge of filing false police complaints as well as possibly one on employing a migrant without permission against Monta. He said the police was also awaiting a formal resolution from a multi-disciplinary committee on whether Monta could also have violated the human-trafficking law. He said police was also gathering evidence in relation to Monta’s alleged violation of the lese majeste law.

Sanit said investigators had on Monday filed a police complaint at Bangkok’s Prachacheun Police Station for the human-trafficking and lese majeste charges.