Some Rohingya were abandoned by smugglers because they could n’t afford to pay for transportation.
PUBLISHED: 18 Oct 2024 at 19: 35
In connection with the trafficking of 26 Rohingya, two Thai citizens were apprehended on Friday in Phetchaburi.
Eight men and two women from the group of 10 Rohingya were found close to a church in Chumphon’s Lang Suan district on Thursday, making the arrests immediately. After finding two bodies dead, a Buddhist monk called the police after hearing their shouts for assistance.
According to an original investigation, the 10 were among 26 Rohingya who were transported in a pickup truck from Tak’s Mae Sot area to Songkhla, en route to Malaysia. The pirates reportedly found two of them dying and made the decision to leave them along with the eight others who were exhausted.
Authorities gathered data that led to permits for three suspects in the smuggling operation, according to Pol Col. Chalard Palanakarn, the police station’s chief.
Two defendants were apprehended in Phetchaburi, and soldiers seized two modified delivery vehicles as part of the research. A chase is continuing for a second suspect after criminal data was taken from the vehicles.
According to Pol Col Chalard, the investigation is getting more thorough as it looks into possible links to human trafficking jewelry.
All 26 Rohingya were reportedly picked up off in Mae Sot on Monday before being taken to Songkhla, according to authorities. To escape police detection, many vehicles were used in the procedure, including a guide car to spy for checkpoints.
Some of the people who arrived in Lang Suan were found useless, while others were too exhausted to proceed. The smugglers left the group and carried on with the last of the customers.
A delivery truck was spotted by local residents, assuming it was delivering products. After that, officers examined the scene and discovered water bottles and tire signs.
A witness told authorities that the vehicle actually carried 26 Rohingya who were previously traveling from Rakhine state in Myanmar to Tak, with many others being abandoned in Mae Sot due to their inability to pay for it.