Police detain 141 Myanmar migrants in Cha-am truck operation
Police in Cha-am detained over 100 Myanmar migrant workers found crammed into the back of a six-wheeled truck.
The driver confessed to transporting the workers from Damnoen Saduak district to a destination in the south. The incident occurred at 10am yesterday, February 14 when Police Major Chaiyachon Arunrojrangsi of the Cha-am Police Station was setting up a checkpoint on the southbound side of Phetkasem Road in Khao Yai subdistrict, Cha-am district, Phetchaburi province. A green Hino truck with licence plate number 71-2199, Phetchaburi, covered with a black tarpaulin, was stopped for inspection.
The driver, Wiraphan, appeared suspicious, prompting a search. Under the tarpaulin, police discovered a large group of Myanmar migrant workers, both men and women, tightly packed in the truck’s cargo area. They were taken to Cha-am Police Station for further examination, where it was found that there were 141 migrant workers on board. This included 49 men, 46 women, eight boys, and 38 girls.
During questioning, Wiraphan confessed to being hired to transport the migrant workers from Damnoen Saduak district in Ratchaburi province to Hat Yai district in Songkhla province. However, he was apprehended before reaching the destination.
Initially, police charged Wiraphan with the illegal transportation of migrant workers. Further actions will be taken to deport the migrant workers back to their country of origin, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, more than 50 Myanmar and Rohingya nationals were found hiding in a forest in Rim Si Muang subdistrict, Khao Kho district, after being smuggled into Thailand and left without assistance. The discovery came after Phaitoon Khotsombat, a district official, posted a video on Facebook expressing disbelief at witnessing such a situation.
On February 10 at 9pm, two exhausted foreign men approached locals begging for food and revealed that many others were starving nearby. Phaitoon and his team searched the area and found the group in a community forest. Unable to communicate, they enlisted a Burmese worker to translate.
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