Agent arrested after migrants bound for Malaysia found in pickup

Agent arrested after migrants bound for Malaysia found in pickup

KOTA BARU: Songkhla authorities foiled an attempt by a human trafficking syndicate to smuggle undocumented migrants to Malaysia, arresting an agent and rescuing 22 foreigners yesterday.

A Thai security spokesman said all 23 individuals were detained at a roadblock set up by the highway police service unit in Rattaphum, Songkhla.

“The Songkhla Immigration officers, together with tourist police officers, stopped a suspicious pickup truck when it passed the roadblock at about 2.30am (Thai time).

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“After stopping the vehicle driven by a 40-year-old Thai man, they found 22 foreign migrants hiding in the rear compartment in cramped conditions.

“The group comprised 21 Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national, all of whom had entered the country illegally.

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“After questioning the driver, he confessed that he was hired through a Line group offering transport jobs to pick up the migrants from a roadside grove in Pak Tho district, Ratchaburi province, and deliver them to a broker waiting near a petrol station at the Khuha intersection in Songkhla,” the spokesman said.

He added that the driver was promised 2,000 baht for each migrant transported.

“Authorities then carried out a follow-up operation and found another suspect, a 45-year-old Myanmar national, waiting at the meeting point on a motorcycle.

“A search of his mobile phone revealed contact records with the Thai driver as well as a call from a Malaysia-based broker instructing him to pick up more migrants,” he said.

Investigations also found that the Myanmar national had overstayed his visa by more than 754 days and was acting as a local agent in Songkhla, coordinating the smuggling of migrants across the border into Malaysia for a fee of 500 baht per person.

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“Both suspects will be charged with harbouring, concealing or assisting illegal migrants to evade arrest by authorities.

“The Myanmar man will also face an additional charge for overstaying his permitted stay in Thailand,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman added that the 22 migrants were charged with entering and staying in Thailand illegally before being handed over to the Rattaphum police station for further legal action.