2 men arrested in Kanchanaburi for allegedly smuggling in migrant workers over the last 2 days

Early this morning and yesterday night, 2 Thai nationals and over 28 Burmese have been arrested in Kanchanaburi, a province in western Thailand. The Thais were allegedly smuggling the migrants into Thailand so they could work in the country. The exact charges have not been specified.

In the first bust: A combination of police, soldiers, and “volunteers” had stopped and searched the alleged smuggler’s pickup truck at the checkpoint at Ranti Bridge because the driver was behaving nervously.

When the truck was searched, a Burmese man and a Burmese boy were found underneath “some goods” in the cabin.

The driver, 20 year old Chanon Charoenhongsa, allegedly admitted to grabbing the migrants at Three Pagodas Pass. He allegedly said he was being paid 20,000 baht a person to smuggle in workers. Reportedly, he says he has already done this on two occasions.

The truck and workers were bound for Bangkok.

When the migrants were being questioned, they allegedly said they had walked across the border via a natural path and were later grabbed by the pickup truck at a later point.

All have been taken to the Sangkhla Buri police station for further legal proceedings.

In the second bust Yesterday, 26 migrants were also arrested for allegedly trying to sneak into Thailand. Their alleged smuggler 30 year old Boonchu Thakaew was also arrested. They were caught in Sangkhla Buri, received health checks, and were questioned. They were then brought to a local police station for further legal proceedings.

SOURCE: The Bangkok Post