Thai police stopped a long-distance bus at a permanent checkpoint in Sam Roi Yot, Prachuap Khiri Khan, discovering 22 illegal Myanmar migrants on board.


The bus, traveling from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat, was driven by a 63-year-old man, with two staff members assisting. Officers found 13 migrants seated among passengers, while nine were hidden in a sleeping compartment behind the driver.

The suspects reportedly admitted they were hired to transport the group for 37,000 baht per person, arranging pick-ups in Bangkok’s Bang Bon and Sai Tai Mai areas to avoid detection.


Meanwhile, police in Kanchanaburi’s Thong Pha Phum district found 59 Myanmar nationals hiding in a rubber plantation. The migrants reportedly admitted to illegally crossing the border through natural passages and were waiting for transportation to jobs in Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, and Bangkok.

Later that evening, authorities in Sangkhla Buri detained another 21 Myanmar migrants, who claimed they were waiting for a boat back to their home country.


All individuals were taken into custody for legal proceedings. The bus driver and staff face charges for smuggling and harboring illegal migrants, while the arrested migrants were charged with illegal entry.

Thai authorities continue to crack down on human smuggling networks operating along the border.

Myanmar is currently in a state of civil war involving the military junta and multiple armed ethnic minority groups and has been in this state for many years, with no sign of it ending anytime soon. As a result, many Myanmar nationals have fled to look for work in other countries, with some choosing to do so illegally.

Over 100 Illegal Migrants Caught in Thailand Crackdown by Police - The Pattaya News