Thong Pha Phum police, along with other relevant agencies in Kanchanaburi, have arrested 84 illegal immigrants from Myanmar’s Rakhine State after they entered Thailand through an unauthorized route.
The authorities acted on a tip-off and found an abandoned pickup truck blocking a road, with its license plates deliberately obscured. In the truck bed, several bags were discovered, which police suspect belonged to the immigrants.
A subsequent search of the nearby forest led to the discovery of the group of migrants, who were hiding in the area. The group, consisting of both men and women, had no identification documents and lacked the ability to speak Thai. It was revealed that each immigrant had paid human traffickers 75,000 baht for the journey. They were attempting to pass through Thailand on their way to Malaysia for work.
Authorities also apprehended the driver of the pickup truck, who was identified as one of the smugglers. The truck was seized for further investigation.
The arrested individuals were transferred to local police for questioning, and legal proceedings are expected to follow. According to the immigrants, they had crossed the Myanmar-Thailand border and journeyed through the jungle to a river port in Sangkhla Buri, where they were then transported by boat to the pickup point.
