KANCHANABURI: Forty-three illegal migrants from Myanmar on board four automobiles and two drivers were arrested within Sangkhla Buri area on Wednesday morning. Two other motorists managed to flee.
Village defence volunteers led by Saman Phimphila, kamnan of tambon Prangpae in Sangkhla Buri district, were sent to a route among Sangkhla Buri and Thong Pha Phum district at around 5am following a tip-off that four vehicles were being used to smuggle illegal migrant workers along this path.
The local leader also alerted police and soldiers from the Bekv?m Ya Task Drive to set up road checkpoints to intercept the particular vehicles. However , simply no vehicles transporting migrants were found.
At around 6am, the group of police and soldiers went to Wat Lijia in Sangkhla Buri district after receiving information that will smugglers often used the temple as a venue to change vehicles utilized to smuggle illegal migrant workers. The group found two vehicles and two trucks parked near the funeral service pyre.
Upon viewing the officers, three drivers jumped from their vehicles and fled. One driver had fallen asleep and was arrested; he was determined later as Miew, 26, a Myanmar national living in Muang district of Kanchanaburi.
The particular arresting team discovered 12 people – six men and 6 women – inside a Honda Accord with Bangkok licence dishes.
Thirteen other migrants – nine guys, two women, 1 boy and one lady – were within a Mitsubishi pickup truck with Nakhon Pathom licence plates. Another eight men and 2 women were present in an Isuzu pickup with Chiang Mai licence plate.
The fourth vehicle, a Toyota Vios with Kanchanaburi license plates, carried eight people – 4 men, two women and two boys. All 43 people were illegal migrants from Myanmar.
Mr Miew informed the arresting group that he had been employed for 4, 000 baht per visit to transport illegal migrant workers to Tha Jadi district of the traditional western province.
The soldier in a protective suit conducts temp checks on illegal migrants. (Photo: Piyarat Chongcharoen)
On the same time, the arresting group managed to arrest one more driver, identified only as Witsanu, close to Lijia brook together Highway 323 in Sangkhla Buri.
Mr Witsanu admitted to becoming the driver of the Honda car. He mentioned he had been hired for 5, 1000 baht to transport migrant workers from Lijia boundary village to Tha Maka district. This individual said he failed to know who owned the car, and mentioned this was the second time he had made the particular trip. Authorities were looking for two other motorists who fled.
Throughout questioning, the migrant workers said they had journeyed from Payatongsu, a border town opposing Sangkhla Buri area, on foot, on motorboats and in vehicles considering that Aug 1 . They had paid 15, 000-30, 000 baht each to job agents for work in Samut Sakhon, Rayong and Kanchanaburi.
Sangkhla Buri district chief Sutthiporn Siwawetphikuyl said internal troubles inside Myanmar and Thailand’s policy to generate migrant workers sign-up with authorities was driving Myanmar nationals to illegally combination the border in order to Sangkhla Buri district.