Combined force arrests 107 illegal Cambodian migrants within a day
Immigration officials in Sa Kaeo province, together with border police and the Thai military, have arrested 107 illegal immigrants since yesterday. Sa Kaeo lies about 200 kilometres east of Bangkok at the Cambodian border.
The commander of the Burapha Armed Forces (Tigers of the East) – the nickname of the military clique attached to the 2nd Infantry Division, the Queen’s Guard – ordered military personnel along the border to be on high alert for Cambodians attempting to cross the border without authorisation. Thai authorities and doctors are deeply concerned about Covid-19 potentially being brought across porous land borders into the country.
34 of the illegal migrants were found in northern Phichit province’s Ban Khao Luk Chang area, after concerned villagers and security teams told immigration they believed Cambodians were in the area and being transported illegally over the border for around 3,000 baht per head.
Checkpoints in the Sa Kaeo area, and tips from locals in Ta Phraya helped successfully locate the vast majority of the remainder. In all, 58 men and 49 women were arrested. They are now being processed for deportation.
Thailand has not had a single confirmed locally spread case of Covid-19 in over 45 days. Cambodia “officially” discharged its last coronavirus patient in May.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
