Thai authorities have announced the arrest of six Myanmar nationals who illegally entered Samut Sakhon province. The arrests occurred during an evening inspection of a van on April 25, where authorities discovered that none of the individuals possessed valid documentation or passports. Among those arrested were Thant Aung, Nay Lin, Thu Win, and three others. Investigation revealed that two of the arrested individuals were using Thai citizens’ bank accounts to facilitate human trafficking operations.
According to Thai authorities, Thant Aung and Nay Lin were charging 12,500 Thai Baht per person to transport Myanmar workers to factories, coordinating their operations through the Line social media platform. In a separate incident in Kanchanaburi province, a vehicle carrying 19 illegal Myanmar migrant workers met with an accident while attempting to evade police pursuit. The pickup truck, while being chased by highway police, drove at high speed from the Ban Lat Ra intersection to the Kwai Yai River Bridge at Nong Bua, ultimately plunging into the river.
All 19 Myanmar workers aboard the vehicle were rescued from the water by Thai police and subsequently arrested for illegal border crossing. The driver of the vehicle managed to escape during the incident. The police investigation revealed that the arrested Myanmar workers were from Yangon, and each had paid 85,000 Thai Baht to brokers to facilitate their entry into Thailand.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges of illegal border crossings from Myanmar into Thailand, driven by the current political and economic situation in Myanmar. Thai authorities have intensified their efforts to apprehend illegal entrants, with regular patrols and checkpoints established along known migration routes. The arrested individuals are being held for legal proceedings, facing charges related to illegal entry and, in some cases, involvement in human trafficking operations. This series of arrests underscores the complex issues surrounding labor migration in the region and the risks that many Myanmar nationals take in search of economic opportunities abroad.
