Highway Police Intercept Vehicles Smuggling Myanmar Migrants

Picture courtesy of Naewna.

Thai highway police in Ang Thong and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya have arrested two Thai drivers accused of transporting undocumented Myanmar migrant workers to Bangkok, in what officers say was part of a repeated smuggling operation.

Late on 13 August, officers from Highway Police Subdivision 6 (Ang Thong) and Subdivision 1 (Ayutthaya) stopped two suspected cars travelling inbound on the Asian Highway in Mueang district, Ang Thong, following intelligence from an ongoing investigation.

The drivers, identified as 48-year-old Mr Saichon and 55-year-old Mr Amrong, were found to be carrying Myanmar nationals without passports or valid travel documents.

During questioning, Mr Saichon admitted being contacted via the Line messaging app to collect the migrants from Tak province and transport them to Bangkok for a fee of 400 baht per passenger. Mr Amrong confessed to a similar arrangement, receiving 1,500 baht per passenger and admitted to having carried out the job three times before.

The drivers were charged with harbouring, concealing or assisting foreign nationals to evade arrest, while the migrants were charged with entering and residing in the kingdom without permission.

All suspects, along with the seized vehicles, were taken to Mueang Ang Thong Police Station for legal proceedings.

Police said the operation was part of an intensified crackdown on human smuggling networks exploiting undocumented workers for profit.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Naewna 2025-08-15