Myanmar national arrested for allegedly smuggling seven migrants

10 June 2015
Myanmar national arrested for allegedly smuggling seven migrants
A migrant worker looks on as Thai authorities inspect a fishing boat in Mae Klong district, Samut Songkhram province, Thailand, 07 May 2015. Photo: Narong Sangnak/EPA

A Myanmar national has been arrested in Kanchanaburi for allegedly smuggling seven illegal migrants to Suphan Buri for a fee of Bt6,000 each according to an article in The Nation on 10 June.
The suspect, identified as Wyn, had accused security personnel at various checkpoints in the border province of taking bribes from him. His statement had been recorded on video and would be forwarded to relevant agencies for further investigation into his allegation.
Sattha Khachaphalayuk, Muangdistricti chief, quoted Wyn as saying he employed several methods of smuggling migrants into Thailand. He would tell the migrants to apply for cross-border passes, and he would also hire motorcycle taxis to transport them using routes with the fewest checkpoints to avoid detection.
Personnel at temporary checkpoints would accept the passes as valid, he said, and they would allow the migrants through. Each motorcycle taxi driver would be paid Bt1,200 for each migrant.
After the seven illegal migrants were delivered to a location in tambon Ban Kao, Wyn would pick them up in an SUV and take them to a financier based in SuphanBuri, he told the police.
Each of the 12 motorcyclists, all non-Thais, who worked at the same taxi stands as the six who transported the migrants, were questioned and told that they would be deported after they transported migrants in the future. The seven migrants will be deported.