KANCHANABURI: A total of 60 Myanmar job seekers were arrested after sneaking illegally across the border into Muang district on Tuesday.
They arrived in two groups and were rounded up by border-watch patrols of the army's Lat Ya Task Force.
The first group comprised 21 men and 27 women. They were found about 2.30pm hiding in forest near Ban Pratudan, Moo 4, in tambon Ban Kao.
They said they walked seven days from Dawei in Myanmar along natural paths and arrived at the border on Tuesday morning. Led by two Myanmar job brokers who arranged the trip, they crossed the border to Ban Pratudan and were told to wait in the forest and they would be taken to their destinations.
They had each paid 13,000 - 20,000 baht to the brokers. Their were expecting to work in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Samut Sakhon or Bangkok.
About 5pm, a second group, this time three men and nine women, were spotted by soldiers on patrol near Ban Phu Nam Ron in tambon Ban Kao in Muang district.
All nine were from Moulmein. They said they had paid 15,000 baht each to job brokers for work in Pathum Thani and Samut Sakhon.
The 60 migrants went through a health screening process before being handed over to Muang district police for legal action. They were charged with illegal entry and violating the emergency decree and the Communicable Disease Control Act.