Suspect surrenders for alleged smuggling of Rohingya migrants

By Digital Media

SONGKHLA, Feb 8 – A former politician has turned himself in to the authorities in this southern Thai province on Thursday to fight charges of involvement in smuggling of Rohingya migrants into Thailand, police said.

Prasit Laemleh, former deputy mayor of Padang Besar sub-district in Songkhla province, denied involvement in human trafficking despite the arrest of 393 Rohingya migrants in his rubber plantation.

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The group was among nearly 1,000 ethnic migrants who fled Myanmar and were separately apprehended in several locations in southern Thailand last month.

Mr Prasit said the plot of land belongs to his father and he was not aware of the Rohingya migrants’ presence there.

Police said they have sufficient evidence to charge him, and he will be summoned for further questioning.

Police have so far arrested eight suspects – two Thais and six Myanmar citizens – in connection with the human trafficking network, while another Myanmar suspect, identified as Jama Nadin, is still at large. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-08

He or anyone else would not need to smuggle Rohingya people if Thailand had any morals and offered help instead of just turning them loose and back out to sea!!

Creating a remorseful impression prior to the

Why does being a deposed deputy mayor make him a "former politician"? 100 to one he's still a "politician". He wants the job back, or maybe the top job -- more kick backs.