DKBA releases 18 Filipinos who cross into Thailand

Eighteen Filipino nationals have entered Thailand from Myanmar's Myawaddy area after reportedly being released from territory controlled by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), also known as the Buddhist Karen army.

Thai soldiers and Border Patrol Police found the group at about 11am on 1 August as they crossed into Ban Huai Nam Nak, Moo 4, Phop Phra district, Tak province. The location is near the Thai-Myanmar border west of Mae Sot.

The group comprised nine men and nine women. All were detained after crossing outside an approved border checkpoint and entering the kingdom without permission.

Six months of appeals for help

Reports said the Filipinos had sought assistance for more than six months through Ms Jay Krittiya, a coordinator with a civil-society network assisting victims of human trafficking.

The organisation had reportedly contacted senior DKBA officers to seek the group's release and return to the Thai side of the border.

Their release comes as Myanmar authorities have increased action against groups linked to online scam operations, according to the report. Scam compounds and trafficking networks operating near the Thai-Myanmar frontier have drawn sustained concern because foreign nationals can be recruited or held there against their will.

Thai police take custody

After initial questioning, soldiers from Infantry Company 423, under the Ratchamanu Task Force control headquarters, and Border Patrol Police Company 346 transferred the 18 Filipinos to Phop Phra Police Station for legal proceedings.

Officials treated the crossing as an immigration offence because the group entered Thailand outside an authorised channel. However, the civil-society network wants those involved to undergo Thailand's National Referral Mechanism, or NRM, screening process before any prosecution.

The NRM process is intended to assess whether a person may be a victim of human trafficking. The network said it did not want the Filipinos prosecuted before that screening had taken place.

Picture courtesy of Matichon

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2 August 2026