Ten Myanmar national job seekers arrested after accident

About 10 Myanmar nationals were caught after a van they were traveling in hit a power post in Thung Song district on Monday afternoon.

Thanapol Tungsee, the headman of Moo 3 village in tambon Na Pho, said he was informed by villagers that a van had rammed into a power post and overturned on the road median on Highway 31 near Moo 3 village.

He went to the spot and found only Chalermpol Phetcharat, 41, the van driver from Krabi’s Nua Khlong district, at the scene. The villagers who witnessed the accident said they saw about 10 people jump out of the van and flee into rubber and oil palm plantations near the roadside.

Mr Thanapol reported the accident to Nikom Hoykaew, an assistant district chief, and Sorawit Phetmaksri, the kamnan of tambon Na Pho. They called the police.

Thung Song police arrived and subsequently launched a manhunt for the Myanmar people and were able to round up all of them shortly afterward.

Only one of them, Aung, who spoke Thai, had a passport. The others were not carrying any documents.

Mr Aung told the police that he was acting as a guide, taking the other Myanmar nationals by van from Ranong province to work sites in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district. But the van had an accident before reaching the destination.

All of the illegal Myanmar migrants were handed over to Thung Song police for an investigation into whether they had been brought into Thailand by a human trafficking gang.

The Thai van driver was charged with providing assistance to the job seekers who had illegally entered the country.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES