people smuggling

  • Crime NewsMyanmar and Rohingya migrants found abandoned in Thai forest

    Myanmar and Rohingya migrants found abandoned in Thai forest

    More than 50 people, identified as Myanmar and Rohingya nationals, were discovered hiding in a forest near a village in Rim Si Muang subdistrict, Khao Kho district. They had been abandoned after being smuggled into the country and left without assistance. The discovery emerged after a Facebook post by Phaitoon Khotsombat, a district official, shared a video of the group…

  • Thailand News26 illegal immigrants found hidden in corn truck in Mae Sot

    26 illegal immigrants found hidden in corn truck in Mae Sot

    A joint operation by the Ratchamanu Task Force, police, and the district administration successfully apprehended 26 illegal immigrants today, January 30, concealed in a corn truck in Mae Sot district, Tak province. The incident occurred at 11pm when the Ratchamanu Task Force, part of the Naresuan Force, set up a checkpoint in Ban Huai Fon. During this operation, a truck…

  • South Thailand NewsThai police arrest migrants en route to Malaysia in smuggling bust

    Thai police arrest migrants en route to Malaysia in smuggling bust

    In Songkhla, police in Chana district apprehended 10 illegal migrants from Myanmar and two Thai drivers as they attempted to travel to Malaysia in search of employment. The arrests were made yesterday evening, January 25, by a team comprising immigration and highway police, who intercepted a Honda sedan and a Mitsubishi Pajero on a local road in tambon Taling Chan.…

  • Crime NewsMyanmar migrants smuggling ring busted in Ayutthaya

    Myanmar migrants smuggling ring busted in Ayutthaya

    On January 21 at 5pm, Ayutthaya immigration police, in collaboration with highway police, apprehended a 39 year old Myanmar national, Zaw Zaw Lin, and a 32 year old Myanmar national, Nae Sein Ma, for illegally transporting 10 Myanmar nationals in a vehicle. The arrest took place along kilometres 46-47 on Highway 32, Asia Road, Thato subdistrict, Maharaj district, Ayutthaya province.…

  • Crime NewsThai police halt illegal migrant smuggling in dramatic Phetchabun chase

    Thai police halt illegal migrant smuggling in dramatic Phetchabun chase

    A dramatic chase unfolded yesterday, December 26, as police pursued a group smuggling illegal migrant workers in Thailand. Two vehicles, packed with a total of 26 individuals, were intercepted in Phetchabun, revealing an illicit operation that charged 1,000 baht per head. Police officer Warabodin Lertsupasinstit, leading the Highway Police Division 5, was alerted to a potential smuggling attempt involving migrants…

  • Crime NewsPolice chase in Suphan Buri leads to migrant smuggling arrest

    Police chase in Suphan Buri leads to migrant smuggling arrest

    A dramatic police chase unfolded yesterday on Highway 340 in Suphan Buri, resulting in the arrest of a Thai driver smuggling eight illegal migrants from Myanmar into Bangkok. The incident began yesterday, December 18, when highway police, led by Somkid Yamthip, noticed a suspiciously slow-moving van. The van, a white Toyota with registration number 1นฉ 7681 กทม, initially appeared to…

  • Crime NewsBorder bust: Thai cops ‘Myan-handle’ illegal entry gang

    Border bust: Thai cops ‘Myan-handle’ illegal entry gang

    Thai police, in a joint operation, detained a group of people illegally entering the country, comprising 16 Myanmar nationals and a Thai man accused of facilitating their entry. The arrest took place near Ban Pa Kha Mai in the Kiri Rat subdistrict of Phop Phra district, Tak province. Officers from the Ratchamanu Task Force, along with the Long Range Patrol…

  • Thailand NewsNortheast Thailand: Duo nabbed smuggling 10 Chinese migrants

    Northeast Thailand: Duo nabbed smuggling 10 Chinese migrants

    In a dramatic late-night pursuit, immigration officers, together with Pa Rai police, intercepted a pickup truck smuggling 10 illegal Chinese migrants in the Don Tan district in the northeastern province of Mukdahan yesterday, September 4. Acting on a tip-off, officers were ready and waiting when the truck appeared. Officers spotted the suspicious vehicle at around 11pm and signalled for it…

  • Crime NewsPolice arrest trafficker smuggling Myanmar migrants into Thailand

    Police arrest trafficker smuggling Myanmar migrants into Thailand

    Police apprehended a vehicle transporting Myanmar migrant workers fleeing domestic conflict to seek employment in Thailand, each paying 15,000 baht. The incident took place yesterday when Vorabodin Lertsuphasinsatit from the Highway Police Division and his team intercepted a black Mitsubishi Pajero with license plate กท 5461 Kamphaeng Phet on Highway 117 in Ban Na, Wachirabarami District, Phichit Province. The arrest…

  • Thailand NewsCouple arrested for smuggling 32 immigrants in truck compartment

    Couple arrested for smuggling 32 immigrants in truck compartment

    Following a tip-off about an immigrant smuggling operation, military and police officials arrested a husband and wife yesterday for smuggling over 32 illegal immigrants hidden in a modified six-wheel truck loaded with old goods. Commander of the Lat Ya Task Force, Military Colonel Phongphat Hongsinlak, along with Police Colonel Paitoon Sriwilai, head of the Sangkhla Buri Police Station, and other…

  • Pattaya NewsThailand police foil illegal immigration operation, 66 nabbed

    Thailand police foil illegal immigration operation, 66 nabbed

    Kanchanaburi‘s Thong Pha Phum police, along with immigration officers and relevant agencies, successfully thwarted an illegal immigration smuggling operation in Thailand. The operation yesterday, March 20, led to the apprehension of 66 individuals and the confiscation of four vehicles, marking a significant breakthrough in the fight against illegal immigration in Thailand. The report from the police highlighted that the officers…

  • Thailand NewsPhatthalung highway police intercept 58 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh

    Phatthalung highway police intercept 58 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh

    Highway police in Phatthalung intercepted three pickup trucks carrying 58 illegal Bangladesh immigrants. The migrants were being smuggled into Hat Yai to work. The drivers confessed to receiving 1,500 baht per person, a higher income than transporting goods or vegetables. Today, Deputy Superintendent Chamnan Suwanchatree, along with seven officers, set up a checkpoint on the southbound Asia Highway between Nakhon…

  • Crime NewsTeen’s truckin’ troubles: Migrant worker smuggling ends in pickup predicament in central Thailand

    Teen’s truckin’ troubles: Migrant worker smuggling ends in pickup predicament in central Thailand

    A 19 year old man was apprehended for smuggling 13 illegal migrant workers in a pickup truck that he claimed to have borrowed from his father under the pretence of visiting his girlfriend. Phinwit Udomphon, an officer from the Ayutthaya Provincial Police, stated that efforts to curb the smuggling of illegal workers into Bangkok and its surrounding provinces continue unabated.…

  • Thailand NewsTeen’s high-risk hustle: 16 year old busted smuggling 14 Burmese migrant workers in stolen ride

    Teen’s high-risk hustle: 16 year old busted smuggling 14 Burmese migrant workers in stolen ride

    A 16 year old boy has been caught in Ayutthaya for smuggling 14 Burmese migrant workers in a stolen vehicle, in exchange for a fee of 15,000 baht (US$429). Highway Police yesterday noticed a suspicious grey Isuzu MU-X with Phitsanulok registration, which looked overloaded compared to regular vehicles. The teenage driver attempted to evade the police, who signalled for the…

  • Thailand NewsPolice arrest Thais for alleged smuggling of Burmese refugees

    Police arrest Thais for alleged smuggling of Burmese refugees

    In the district of Khun Yuam, in Mae Hong Son province, law enforcememyannt apprehended three Thai citizens who were allegedly facilitating the illegal smuggling of Burmese refugees from a temporary holding facility. The event unfolded on Thursday evening. Several of these migrants, comprising five children and five adults were discovered in the culprits’ vehicles when they were apprehended the following…

  • Thailand NewsSeven arrested for smuggling Chinese nationals into Thailand for potential call centre scams

    Seven arrested for smuggling Chinese nationals into Thailand for potential call centre scams

    Seven Thai individuals have been detained for their alleged involvement in smuggling Chinese nationals from Laos into Thailand. Authorities are investigating whether these cases have any connection to call centre gangs. The series of arrests were disclosed in a press briefing held yesterday by Provincial Police Region 3 Commissioner Pol. Lt. Gen. Somprasong Yenthuan, which involved Highway Police, Immigration Police,…

  • Thailand NewsCrackdown on human trafficking as Thailand tries to upgrade its ranking

    Crackdown on human trafficking as Thailand tries to upgrade its ranking

    Thailand is to get tough on people smugglers, according to deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon in a Bangkok Post report today. The government aims to upgrade the country’s 2022 ranking in the US Trafficking in Persons Report, after being downgraded to the Tier 2 Watchlist in this year’s report. Being given a Tier 2 Watchlist ranking means a government is deemed…

  • Business NewsBusinesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers

    Businesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers

    Businesses in Thailand are urging the government to speed up the process that will allow for the legal return of migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The Labour Ministry recently confirmed its intention to sign MoUs with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos that would permit workers from those countries to enter Thailand from December. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s…

  • World NewsOfficials to get tough on people smugglers, use MoUs to bring workers in legally

    Officials to get tough on people smugglers, use MoUs to bring workers in legally

    The labour minister says people smugglers face arrest and having their assets seized as part of a crackdown on migrant workers being brought into Thailand illegally. Since Thailand’s re-opening to international tourists, border officials have seen an increase in the number of illegal migrants attempting to cross into Thailand to secure work. Suchart Chomklin says the criminals running people-smuggling operations…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand renews crackdown on illegal migrants ahead of re-opening

    Thailand renews crackdown on illegal migrants ahead of re-opening

    Thailand is cracking down on illegal migrants and those who smuggle them into the country, as authorities try to prevent imported Covid-19 infections. The Defence Ministry says over 30,000 illegal migrants have been intercepted and deported since the beginning of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the number arrested continues to rise as the country prepares to re-open…

  • Crime NewsArrest warrants sought for 8 civilians suspected of smuggling migrant workers

    Arrest warrants sought for 8 civilians suspected of smuggling migrant workers

    Deputy national police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas has confirmed that arrest warrants are being sought for 8 civilians implicated in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers. The Bangkok Post reports that the 8 face charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The workers were trafficked from Myanmar to the central Thai province of Samut Sakhon, where the latest outbreak of Covid-19…

  • Crime NewsAt least 33 police officers, officials, implicated in migrant smuggling operation

    At least 33 police officers, officials, implicated in migrant smuggling operation

    At least 33 police officers and other government officials are being investigated for their role in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers into Thailand. The people smuggling operation is thought to be at the root of Thailand’s second wave of Covid-19, with countless migrants helped across the border without undergoing mandatory quarantine or any form of health checks. The Bangkok…

  • World NewsOfficials on the hunt for corrupt border guards blamed for Covid spread

    Officials on the hunt for corrupt border guards blamed for Covid spread

    The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has put the Deputy Defence Minister in charge of hunting down crooked border officials whose corruption is thought to be behind the latest Covid-19 outbreak. With most of the new infections detected in Burmese migrant workers in the central province of Samut Sakhon, it’s believed many have been smuggled into Thailand illegally, bypassing mandatory quarantine.…

  • World NewsTak immigration officials arrest 30 Burmese migrants and Thai driver

    Tak immigration officials arrest 30 Burmese migrants and Thai driver

    Immigration police in the northern province of Tak have arrested 30 Burmese migrants, along with the Thai driver who tried to drive them back into the Kingdom illegally. Police chief Sompong Chingduang says the Burmese nationals crossed the border via the Moei River and were then picked up by a Thai man, named only as Chinathip. He is accused of…

  • Crime News4 pregnant women among 32 human trafficking victims dumped in forest in southern Thailand

    4 pregnant women among 32 human trafficking victims dumped in forest in southern Thailand

    4 pregnant women are among 32 Burmese dumped in a forest in the southern province of Chumphon after being illegally trafficked into Thailand. It’s understood the group had all been working in Malaysia until the Covid-19 crisis erupted and they lost their jobs. Thai Residents reports that they pooled all the money they had to engage a human trafficking gang…

  • Thailand NewsImmigration police catch 54 illegal immigrants at Thai-Cambodia border

    Immigration police catch 54 illegal immigrants at Thai-Cambodia border

    Thai immigration police have arrested a Cambodian man along with 53 other Cambodian nationals he had smuggled across the border into Thailand. The arrests took place in the province of Sa Kaeo, about 200 kilometres east of Bangkok. The man, named as 46 year old La Peun, confessed to police that the migrants had paid him 3,000 baht each to…