SONGKHLA: Eleven Myanmar migrants and a guide have been arrested in Bang Klam district on Thursday morning.
A combined force of soldiers, immigration police and local officials spotted a group of people gathering at a forested area with belongings in tambon Tha Chang.
All of them were Myanmar nationals and they were detained and taken for questioning, said the arresting team led by Bang Klam district chief Surat Laichan.
During questioning, the migrants said they had paid 3,500 ringgit (almost 30,000 baht) each to a Myanmar broker living in Malaysia to help them cross the border to their country through Thailand. They had crossed the border via natural border crossing.
They had been in hiding in the forested area for about four days before being caught with their Myanmar guide, identified later as Mr Khai Sin Thun, 33. The guide has been charged with providing shelter to migrants or helping them avoid arrests and overstaying.
The eleven migrants have been charged with illegal entry.
Officials prepare to check the body temperature of Myanmar migrans caught entering the country illegally in Songkhla. (Photo: Assawin Pakkawan)