More Burmese migrants detained along Thailand’s western border

Police arrested 63 Burmese migrants seeking jobs in Thailand for allegedly crossing the borders into Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts illegally yesterday. Two Thai men were also arrested for allegedly attempting to help smuggle the migrants across the border. One of them was reportedly caught driving 18 migrants in a pickup truck. The police found 12 migrant women and six migrant men in the truck.

The Surasee Task Force arrested 41 Myanmar migrants in the Sai Yok District, including 23 men and 18 women. Authorities also arrested two migrant men, two migrant women, and one Thai man assisting them, in Sanghkala Buri District. Police said the migrants would be deported for illegal entry after necessary legal steps were taken. They charged the two Thai men with assisting illegal border crossers.

This news comes two days after 126 Burmese migrants were arrested in Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai on Sunday. The migrants caught today and on Sunday have paid, or promised to pay, fees ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 baht to agents and job brokers helping them find work in Thailand. Many migrant workers left Thailand after being laid off during the height of the pandemic last year.

Source: Bangkok Post