Sixty-nine Thai fishermen believed to have been lured into working illegally in Indonesian waters have returned to Thailand, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee confirmed Thursday the 69 Thai fishermen who were working on Ambon island and other islands in Indonesia arrived back in Thailand safely on Wednesday night.
Another 150 are still undergoing a proof of identity process in Indonesia, he said. They need to complete that process before the government can bring them home.
"All procedures involved close cooperation between the two countries and are being carried out according to Indonesian law," he added.
The government has helped a total of 1,244 Thai fishermen stranded on Indonesia's islands since last October, according to Mr Sek.
Among the 69 fishermen who returned home on Wednesday, 39 had been detained in Indonesia's Kalimantan for encroaching in Indonesia territorial waters, according to the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women.
Paveena Hongsakul, the foundation's chairwoman, said the 39 men had asked for the foundation's help through its Facebook page.
They were detained in Kalimantan province for more than six months and had not received any help from their employers, Ms Paveena said, adding the foundation helped these workers while the Foreign Ministry handled the rest.
The 39 fishermen are now with relatives and under the care of the foundation, she said. They will be interviewed by officials from the Anti-Human Trafficking Division and the Labour Ministry on Monday, Ms Paveena said.
One of the men, Taweewat, 28, whose last name was withheld, said he was looking for work at Hua Lumphong railway station when he was approached by a job broker who offered him work at a fish factory in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon.
The broker said the work was well-paid, Mr Taweewat said. However, he and a group of other men were sent to Songkhla province to work on a fishing trawler instead, he said.
He and other crew members were forced to work but were never paid, he said.