A group of 162 illegal migrant workers from Myanmar has been arrested on Sunday while they were waiting in a forest in Thong Pha Phum district for transport to promised jobs in Thai provinces and Malaysia.
The provincial governor, Athisarn Intra, was informed at 9.30am that the illegal workers were hiding in the forested area in tambon Tha Khanun. They were reportedly Myanmar nationals who sneaked into the kingdom.
A Thong Pha Phum special task force acting on the information found the large group of 162 people, who all surrendered to the authorities peacefully.
There were 94 men, 57 women and 11 boys and girls aged between 15-18.
Initial questioning through an interpreter revealed the group had entered Thailand via natural border routes in Sangkhla Buri district. They evaded checkpoints and travelled by boat, disembarking in Thong Pha Phum district.
From there, a driver took them in batches to wait in the forest, instructing them to wait for five more hours for another vehicle that would take them into the city.
The workers said they paid brokers between 20,000 and 24,000 baht for the transportation to promised jobs in Samut Sakhon, Bangkok, Chon Buri, Ayutthaya and Songkhla. Some hoped to cross the border into Malaysia.