The Pak Phanang court in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday approved a police request for arrest warrants for 50 suspects involved in human trafficking.
The move follows up the discovery of five trucks carrying 98 Rohingya in January in Hua Sai district in Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
Ninety-eight undocumented Rohingya migrants were discovered on Jan 11 at a road checkpoint in Hua Sai district after police stopped a convoy of five pickup trucks for a routine search.
The migrants were crammed into the trucks so tightly that one of them died at the scene while another two died from diarrhoea and a blood infection.
Nakhon Si Thammarat police chief Pol Maj Gen Kiatpong Khaosam-ang said yesterday the 50 suspects wanted under the warrants also face charges of involvement in transnational crimes.
The 50 suspects may also include some government officials, police said.
In total, 153 arrest warrants had been issued for suspects and 90 have been detained for Rohingya trafficking. Another 37 out of 77 suspects in money-laundering cases related to Rohingya smuggling have also been arrested.