KANCHANABURI: Thirteen illegal Myanmar migrants and three children were arrested for illegal entry after a car chase in Thong Pha Phum district on Sunday night.
Pol Col Boonsongwit Hongsaeng, the Thong Pha Phum police chief, said the arrests were made after local informants reported that a number of Myanmar migrants would be smuggled across the border into Sangkhlaburi district and taken further inside the country in a grey Toyota Tiger pick-up with a Kanchanaburi licence plate.
Police were deployed for interception.
At about 8.30pm, a police team spotted a pick-up matching the description given by the informations running from Thong Pha Phum district town, heading for Sai Yok district. The vehicle was covered with a thick canvas sheet.
The police signalled the vehicle to stop, but it instead sped away in the dark and light rain, only to be blocked by the police near Moo 1 village in tambon Sahakorn Nikhom, Thong Pha Phum district.
Thirteen Myanmar nationals -- nine men and four women -- and three children aged 2-4 years old were found in the vehicle.
The Myanmar driver -- identified as Sa Fong, 31, who lived in Sangkhlaburi district -- was arrested and charged with smuggling of illegal migrants.
The migrants said they were heading for Surat Thani for jobs. They were taken to Thong Pha Phum police station for health screenings and legal proceedings.