More than 80 undocumented Myanmar migrants found in Songkhla
More than 80 Myanmar migrants were found hiding in a forested area at the foot of a hill in Songkhla, yesterday, April 9, as officials investigated a suspected migrant smuggling operation.
Officials acted after village and subdistrict leaders reported a large group hiding in the area. District officers, police and Songkhla immigration officers were then sent to inspect the site.
They found more than 80 Myanmar migrants sitting among bushes. None had identification documents or passports, so officials took them to the Na Mom district office hall for screening and questioning.
One migrant told officials through an interpreter that the group had entered Thailand five days earlier through a natural border crossing from Payathonsu in Kayin State, Myanmar, into Ban Phra Chedi Sam Ong in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi.
The migrant said the group was moved in stages by vehicle before being dropped in the wooded area in Songkhla yesterday morning. The vehicles were described as a six-wheel truck covered with a tarpaulin and an enclosed pickup truck.
Officials said each Myanmar migrant had paid brokers between five million and 10 million kyat, or about 79,000 to 150,000 baht, in the hope of finding work in Malaysia.
Immigration officers are now screening the group to determine whether any may be victims of human trafficking. Officials said all had initially stated that they had travelled voluntarily.
DailyNews reported that after the screening process, legal action will be taken in line with the law before they are deported to their home country.
Officials believe the migrant smuggling network may have changed route to avoid checkpoints, particularly the permanent Ban Khuan Mit checkpoint, a key inspection point before entering the southern border provinces.
They said the site where the group was found was only a wooded area and not a permanent shelter. Investigators are now reviewing CCTV footage along possible routes to identify others involved in the smuggling operation.
Elsewhere, 100 Myanmar nationals were apprehended for illegally entering Thailand through natural routes. The group crossed the border by navigating their way through forests and waterways for four days before getting captured in Kanchanaburi province.
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