More than 100 Burmese job seekers detained for allegedly entering Thailand illegally
Amidst thousands of refugees legally fleeing into Thailand’s soil due to fighting escalating near the Thai border, job seekers from Myanmar are also trying to cross the border by natural passageways, evading immigration checkpoints and mandatory quarantine. Reports say many have been paying fees of nearly 22,000 baht (US$ 666) to brokers to cross over to Thailand.
On Thursday alone, Thai authorities caught 152 Myanmar job seekers who entered illegally across to Kanchanaburi, whilst 17 more of them were spotted at sea off the coast of Ranong on a long-tailed boat.
A total of 80 men and 72 women, as well as three guides who tried to enter eight locations in Kanchanaburi province, including Tambon Ban Kao, Tambon Bong Tee in Sai Yok district, and Tambon Nong Loo in Sangkhla Buri district, were detained, and three vehicles used to fetch them were seized.
Most admitted travelling from Myanmar’s Dawei, Bago, Rakhine, Mawlamyine, and Yangon regions to work in Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Songkhla, and Chon Buri provinces.
Around 9.30pm, 17 illegal Myanmar migrants were caught inside a long-tailed boat by a Thai navy patrol. There were nine men, seven women, and a young boy; all of them claimed to be residents of Kawthaung.
They were escorted to a nearby pier and turned over to authorities for further investigation.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
