Kanchanaburi catches over 100 smuggled Myanmar migrants in one day
Kanchanaburi police arrested 105 illegal migrants as they were being smuggled through two border villages on Thursday.
The drama began on Thursday morning when officers waved down four pick-up trucks at Huay U Long Village in Thong Pha Phum district.
“Upon seeing the police, the first truck immediately stopped and tried to back up until it hit the following truck, resulting in both of them turning over,” Kanchanaburi police chief Woranan Sukjaroen said.
Of the 19 migrants on the first truck and eight on the second, six were injured, he added.
“The drivers of both vehicles managed to flee the scene during the commotion.”
Police said that two more trucks following behind were stopped by officials, who found 18 migrants and one Thai driver in the third truck, and 31 migrants but no sign of the driver on the fourth.
“In total, 76 Myanmar migrants were arrested this morning with one driver,” Woranan said. “The suspects admitted that they crossed the border by boat at Huay Kob Village in Thong Pha Phum district and hired an agent to take them to destinations in Thailand via pick-up trucks for THB16,000 per person.”
Also on Thursday, Kanchanaburi border patrol soldiers arrested a group of 29 Myanmar nationals and one Thai guide at Ban Pratudan Village in Muang district after they failed to present entry documents.
“The suspects said they walked across a mountain from Dawei city in southeastern Myanmar and were heading to find jobs in Samut Prakan province,” said the official. “The guide also admitted to collecting a fee of THB13,000 to 20,000 per person.”
All the suspects were taken to Muang Kanchanaburi Police Station for Covid-19 tests and to be charged.
The number of Myanmar nationals caught crossing the border has risen dramatically since the country’s military regime launched a brutal crackdown on civilian resistance following the February 1 coup.
