KANCHANABURI: Nineteen illegal job seekers from Myanmar and their Thai driver were arrested when a pickup truck was stopped at a border village in Muang district on Thursday night.
A team of soldiers, police and local officials flagged down a pickup travelling on a road beside sugarcane plantations at Pratudan village Moo 14 in tambon Ban Kao in Muang district.
There were 19 passengers on the pickup driven by Sarut Daosaeng, 30, a resident of tambon Ban Kao.
All passengers were illegal Myanmar border crossers, 12 men and seven women. Their temperatures were checked for signs of Covid-19. All were normal.
Mr Sarut and the passengrs were taken to Muang police station.
During questioning, the passengers said they had travelled from Bago township, using a natural pathway to enter Thailand, and were on their way to jobs in Samut Sakhon. They were to pay 18,000-22,000 baht each in brokerage fees on arriving at their destination.
After being charged the border crossers were destined for repatriation.
