A Thai man was arrested on Monday for allegedly trying to smuggle 21 undocumented Myanmar migrants from Thailand’s south into Malaysia.
Army troops and police jointly searched a resort in Tambon Patong of Songkhla’s Hat Yai district early Monday and found five Myanmar men and two women in two rooms.
Their account led to the arrest of Pongpipat Suwanraksa, who was staying in another room. Pongpipat was charged with smuggling the migrants into Thailand and attempting to take them to Malaysia.
After questioning Pongpipat, the authorities went on to search a forest in Moo 1 village of the same tambon and found 13 more Mynmar men and one woman, who looked tired and hungry. None of them had eaten in three days and some had fallen ill as a result.
They said they were waiting to be taken to Malaysia and their trafficker had ordered them not to leave the spot so they waited in the forest.
