Nearly 200 Migrant Workers Abandoned by Lorry on Roadside

Pictures courtesy of Amarin.

Authorities in Kanchanaburi were left stunned after a container lorry offloaded nearly 200 undocumented migrant workers on a roadside near a power substation in Muang district on the afternoon of 8 September.

The incident came to light when villagers alerted the emergency 191 radio centre after witnessing a truck unloading groups of men and women along the Kanchanaburi–Bo Phloi road, close to kilometre marker 5 in Kaeng Sian sub-district.

Police, accompanied by local village chiefs, rushed to the scene and discovered groups of migrants hiding in nearby farmland and forest areas, apparently waiting for further transport. Some were found sheltering only metres from the road.

During the inspection, three pickup trucks suddenly arrived. Dozens of migrants ran from the roadside brush to board them before the vehicles sped off towards Kanchanaburi town. Locals managed to note two registration plates, both from Bangkok, but police attempts to intercept the vehicles failed.

Shortly afterwards, sub-district chief Nopparat Sabua arrived with additional officers and contacted an interpreter fluent in Burmese to communicate with the migrants. They revealed they had crossed the border on 2 September and were later collected by a container truck.

According to their account, brokers confiscated their documents and money before the journey, promising to return them once they reached their workplaces. Each migrant was allegedly charged between 15,000 and 25,000 baht depending on their intended destination, though none knew where they were ultimately being sent.

Heavy rainfall interrupted questioning, but officials called in 15 vehicles to transport the migrants to Muang Kanchanaburi police station for further investigation.

Police estimate that at least 200 migrants were involved, noting that many could still be hiding in the dense forest near the drop-off point.

Authorities are now working to trace the trafficking network behind the operation.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-09-09