Border bust: Thai cops ‘Myan-handle’ illegal entry gang
Thai police, in a joint operation, detained a group of people illegally entering the country, comprising 16 Myanmar nationals and a Thai man accused of facilitating their entry. The arrest took place near Ban Pa Kha Mai in the Kiri Rat subdistrict of Phop Phra district, Tak province.
Officers from the Ratchamanu Task Force, along with the Long Range Patrol Operations Teams 2 and 4, part of the Naresuan Force, conducted a patrol in the designated operational area.
They encountered the group, which included 12 men and four women from Myanmar, along with an individual named Chong Su Saema, a 30 year old Thai national.
Chong Su was found with the group, driving a vehicle with registration number YP 543 from Chiang Mai, which was used to transport the Myanmar nationals.
During questioning, Chong Su confessed to being hired by a smuggling network to pick up the Myanmar nationals from a creek behind the hill near Ban Pa Kha Mai and transport them to another location. He admitted to receiving a fee of 300 baht (US$9) per person.
Further inquiries with the Myanmar nationals revealed that they had crossed into Thailand through natural channels in the Mae Sot district. Their destination was Pathum Thani province, where they intended to work in garment factories, earning approximately 15,000 baht (US$440) per month, reported KhaoSod.
The group has since been transferred to Phop Phra Police Station for legal proceedings.
In related news, police conducted a dramatic roadside chase in Kanchanaburi, capturing a Thai driver transporting 18 illegal migrants in a single vehicle. The 29 year old driver was apprehended after attempting to evade police.
The operation began when senior police officers received intelligence about a group smuggling stolen vehicles across the border and illegally transporting foreign workers into Thailand.
Responding to the tip-off, law enforcement officers, including Police Major General Khongkrit Lertsitthikul, Police Colonel Phakphon Suchon, Police Lieutenant Colonel Norot Yuwaboon, Police Lieutenant Colonel Krit Theerawetsuwan, and Police Captain Joe Saoprakorn, coordinated a plan to intercept the suspected vehicle.
