Thai Highway Police Pursue Pickup Truck Smuggling 29 Myanmar Migrants

[Georgealbert]

 

 

In a dramatic operation, Thai highway police on November 23, intercepted a Mitsubishi pickup truck that was attempting to smuggle 29 Myanmar nationals into the country. The truck was chased after it was spotted traveling from Hat Yai in Songkhla province towards Narathiwat, with authorities suspecting it was part of a human trafficking operation.

 

The police, working under the command of Pol. Gen. Chiraphop Puridech, Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, set up a checkpoint on Highway 42 at the border between Patani and Narathiwat. Upon inspecting the vehicle, they discovered 29 Myanmar migrants packed inside the truck’s enclosed cargo area. The group consisted of 21 men and 8 women, all illegally attempting to enter Thailand in hopes of finding work in Malaysia.

 

The driver, 27-year-old Muhammad Fitdaw Bin Yani from Phatthalung, was arrested. He confessed to being hired to transport the migrants from Hat Yai to Narathiwat, where they planned to cross into Malaysia. He received 1,500 baht per person from a Thai broker named “Nobin” from Yala, though his real identity remains unknown.

 

The migrants revealed they had been traveling for three days and were nearing their final destination when they were caught by the police. They had been in contact with a Myanmar broker who facilitated their journey to Malaysia through Thailand.

 

Authorities have charged the driver with human trafficking and aiding illegal immigration, while the 29 migrants face charges for illegal entry into the country. Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend the brokers involved in the smuggling operation, both in Thailand and Malaysia.

 

This interception highlights the ongoing issue of human trafficking in the region, and authorities are working with relevant agencies to dismantle the network facilitating the illegal transport of migrants across borders.

 

Picture courtesy of ThaiRath.

-- 2024-11-24