The Royal Thai Army’s (RTA) Naresuan Force is monitoring the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sot district as over 1,500 foreign nationals have fled from KK Park to Thailand, a military source said on Saturday.
The move followed reports that Myanmar military forces have taken control of the KK Park special economic zone, in Myawaddy in Myanmar’s Kayin State, prompting panic among investors, gambling-linked workers, and foreign nationals based in the area. Since Oct 22, many have fled back across the border into Thailand.
The Naresuan Force’s Ratchamanu Task Force has intensified patrols and surveillance along the border. It has also lodged a protest through the Thai-Myanmar Township Border Committee (TBC), urging Myanmar authorities to exercise caution in demolishing buildings within KK Park to prevent harm to residents along both sides of the border, the source said.
According to the Thai-Myanmar Border Command Centre in Tak, a total of 1,595 individuals have crossed into Thailand from KK Park. Of these, 1,330 were men and 265 were women, he said.
The largest group comprised Indians (465 individuals) followed by Filipinos (220), Chinese (185), Vietnamese (151), and Ethiopians (130).
Others came from over 20 additional countries including Kenya, Pakistan, Nepal, Ukraine, Indonesia, Laos, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Screening and legal processing have taken place at the Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and Mae Sot police station, where 860 people and 712 people were screened respectively, he said.
Authorities reported that 680 foreign nationals have been prosecuted, and 439 of them were fined and deported, while 241 were jailed without paying fines. In addition, 32 Thai nationals were fined for related offences.
Meanwhile, a total of 23 people were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to identify potential victims of trafficking, with 18 of them entering the NRM process, one sent to a protection centre in Phitsanulok, and four transferred to a centre in Chiang Rai.
The border command centre said all individuals were screened under national security and public health protocols to ensure the safety of residents. They remain under close supervision by immigration officers, the Ratchamanu Task Force, and security units stationed along the border in Tak.