SONGKHLA: Two Thai men have been arrested for alleged trafficking in illegal Myanmar migrants from Malaysia to Samut Sakhon province, the epicentre of the December Covid-19 surge.
Police assisted by soldiers detained Surakit Waree, 42, of Ratchaburi province, and Suradet Charoenphan, 26, of Buri Ram, at a rubber plantation in Ban Paed Roi Rai, tambon Samnak Taew, in Sadao district near the Thai-Malaysian border about 3am on Thursday.
The suspects were in a silver Toyota pickup truck registered in Chiang Mai.
It was a sting operation and followed the arrest of 10 illegal Myanmar migrants and five Myanmar smugglers in the district on Tuesday.
One of the arrested Myanmar smugglers was persuaded to phone the suspects and ask to be picked up at the rubber plantation on Thursday.
Mr Surakit allegedly admitted to police that he had taken Myanmar migrants who crossed illegally from Malaysia to travel to Mahachai market in Samut Sakhon on four occasions. Each illegal migrant had to pay nearly 30,000 baht for the trip.
All those detained were taken for Covid-19 tests, and face prosecution, police said.
