101 migrants arrested in 2 provinces

A total of 101 Myanmar job seekers have been arrested for entering the country illegally in Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai, authorities said yesterday.

Police said three groups of Myanmar nationals were arrested on Saturday, including 43 job seekers Muang district of Kanchanaburi at night.

Police said 23 men and 23 women were spotted hiding in a tapioca plantation near Huay Nam Khao village by Ranger Company 1404 during a patrol.

They had travelled from Bago, Yangon, Dawei and Pa-an in Myanmar and entered Thailand via a natural corridor near the village, police said.

They were met at the village by three Thai men who were there to provide the migrants with food and shelter before they were transported further inside the country, police said.

According to police, the migrants were heading to destinations in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan.

The migrants were to be deported after going through legal proceedings for illegal entry at the Muang district police station. As for the three Thai men, police said they were charged with providing help to illegal border crossers.

Earlier on Saturday, police said they caught 33 Myanmar job seekers in Kanchanaburi’s Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts. They were identified as the second group to be arrested that day.

Police said the migrants hailed from Bago and Dawei in Myanmar and paid brokers who promised them jobs in Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.

There were to be deported after going through legal proceedings at Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri police stations, policed said.

Meanwhile in Chiang Mai, the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the Pha Muang Force arrested the last group of Myanmar nationals, consisting of 25 people, in Fang district.

Police said 12 men, five women and eight children were found by the regiment during a patrol in Fang district. A Thai man who allegedly came with a pickup truck to take the migrants further into the country was also arrested.