Over 50 Myanmar Nationals Found Abandoned in Thai Forest

Picture courtesy of amarintv

In a startling discovery, more than 50 individuals, identified as Myanmar and Rohingya nationals, were found hiding in a forest near a village in Khao Kho district, Thailand. This group had been abandoned by human traffickers after being smuggled into the country, left to fend for themselves without support.

The incident came to light following a Facebook post by Phaitoon Khotsombat, a district official, who shared footage of the group and expressed disbelief over the occurrence. Around 9pm on February 10th, two exhausted foreign men approached local villagers seeking food, stating there were many more individuals who were also hungry.

Acting on this tip-off, Phaitoon and his team discovered the group nestled in the forest. Communication challenges necessitated the help of a local Burmese worker to translate. The group shared how they had entered Thailand through the Mae Sot district in Tak province and were transported by truck to Nakhon Sawan province. They were promised work in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, but were ultimately abandoned in Khao Kho with false assurances of further transport.

The group comprised 57 people—17 men, five women, and 35 minors under the age of 18. Local authorities in Khao Kho have been notified for further investigations. On the morning of February 11th, three additional men from the group were found wandering along a road in the Nang Ruea subdistrict and were taken into custody.

Assisted by a translator, these men confirmed their illegal entry through Mae Sot as part of a larger group smuggled in. They were left waiting for a truck that never arrived, resulting in their dispersal and subsequent detainment by the police. Legal proceedings are now underway for those involved, reorted The Thaiger.