KANCHANABURI: Seventy-two job seekers from Myanmar were arrested in two separate operations after they crossed the border into Thailand illegally in Muang and Sangkhla Buri districts on Saturday.
A team of soldiers, police and local officials, led by the army’s Lat Ya task force, spotted a group of people hiding in a forested area near in tambon Ban Klao in Muang district at around 4.30am.
The 11 men and seven women, all illegal Myanmar migrants, were checked for fever and their temperatures were normal.
The detainees told officers that they had travelled from Bago, Nay Pyi Taw and Mawlamyine townships to get work in Thailand. They were led across the border by a Myanmar guide and told to wait for someone to pick them up and take them to workplaces in Samut Prakan and Nonthaburi.
They said they had paid between 17,000 and 20,000 baht each to job brokers. The fees varied depending on the distance to their destinations.
They were handed over to Muang district police for legal proceedings and deportation.
In Sangkhla Buri, another team of soldiers and police arrested 32 men and 22 women in a forested area in tambon Nong Lu at around 6am on Saturday.
During questioning, they said they were destined for jobs in Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok. All had normal temperatures and were later taken to the Sangkhla Buri police station for legal action.
Kanchanaburi governor Jeerakiart Phumsawat earlier ordered security forces and officials from all agencies to step up their cooperation to prevent a further influx of illegal migrants. Security in five districts bordering Myanmar — Muang, Dan Makhamtia, Sai Yok, Thong Pha Phum and Sangkhla Buri — has been tightened along a 371-kilometre stretch of the border with 43 known with 43 known crossings.
Authorities believe many more migrants, mainly from Myanmar but also from Cambodia, will attempt to enter the country in the coming weeks as the economy reopens and businesses seek more labourers.
