Another 138 job seekers from Myanmar were caught for illegal entry in Kanchanaburi province on Friday.
Border patrols of the Surasee Task Force, together with Kanchanaburi police and administrative officers, arrested the migrants – 89 men and 49 women – in a rubber plantation in tambon Ban Kao, Muang district.
Temperature checks indicated none of them had a fever.
The migrants told officials they were from Mawlamyine, Yangon, Bago and Rakhine in Myanmar, having paid 15,000 to 25,000 baht each to brokers for jobs in Kanchanaburi, Samut Sakhon, Rayong and Bangkok.
They were handed over to Muang Kanchanaburi police for legal proceedings pending deportation.
Illegal border crossings have increased sharply since the military coup in Myanmar nearly a year ago. Dozens of migrants are now being caught every day in Kanchanaburi, and it is not known how many more are escaping detection.
The deteriorating economy in Myanmar is prompting many people there to seek better opportunities in Thailand, while at the same time Thai companies are desperate for labour as the economy continues to reopen.
