Bangkok: Highway police units from the Nakhon Sawan, Ayutthaya, and Lopburi provinces successfully intercepted a gang involved in smuggling 16 Myanmar migrant workers in a vehicle on Highway 11, within the Nakhon Sawan province. The suspects confessed to having illegally entered Thailand through natural border crossings from the western region, aiming to secure employment in other areas of the country.
According to Thai News Agency, the Highway Police Division, in collaboration with multiple agencies, detained 16 individuals, including 15 Myanmar nationals and a stateless person, aged between 19 and 44. The apprehension took place in Phrom Nimit Subdistrict, Takli District, along Highway 11. The operation was the result of coordinated efforts between highway police units from Nakhon Sawan, Ayutthaya, and Lopburi, who had been monitoring the smuggling route. Late the previous night, officers identified the route as being used for transporting migrant workers. This led to the deployment of personnel for surveillance. At approximately 1:10 AM, authorities observed two target vehicles traveling at high speed and appearing heavily laden. The vehicles were intercepted using flashing lights and loudspeaker commands, eventually bringing them to a halt.
The first vehicle was operated by Mr. Chit Win Aung, 32, an undocumented individual, and carried 11 passengers. The second vehicle, driven by Mr. Chalee, 35, a Myanmar national, had 3 passengers, totaling 14 foreign workers. Subsequent investigations disclosed that all 14 passengers were Myanmar nationals lacking passports or equivalent travel documents. Both drivers admitted to being recruited to transport the workers for a fee ranging from 900 to 1,500 baht per person, amounting to roughly 15,000 baht in total. The workers were initially picked up from a wooded roadside area in the upper central provinces for further transport to the lower central provinces. Through an interpreter, the foreign workers revealed they had entered Thailand illegally via natural border crossings in the western provinces and were subsequently guided inland for employment opportunities, paying approximately 20,000 baht each for the service. All individuals have since been detained for legal proceedings.