There is no let-up in migrants crossing illegally into the country in search of work as the Department of Disease Control (DoDC) voiced growing concern they might spark a new outbreak.
Large groups of illegal crossers from Myanmar were caught in Chiang Mai and Kanchanaburi yesterday.
In Chiang Mai, 20 Myanmar nationals were arrested for illegal entry by rangers under the Pha Muang Force in Mae Ai district early yesterday.
Maj Gen Narit Thawornwong, the Pha Muang Task Force commander, said a Nissan pickup was stopped about 1.30am for a search at the Huay Khok Mu checkpoint by rangers from the Ranger Company 3202, at Moo 7 village in tambon Mae Nawang.
They found nine men and 11 women, all from Taunggyi township in Myanmar. The group entered Thailand via a natural crossing at Pang Tong in tambon Mon Pin in Fang district. They had paid 15,000-20,000 baht each to brokers for jobs in tangerine farms in Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai.
Duang Saeng-aroon, the Thai driver of the pickup, was also arrested for helping the job seekers enter the country illegally. They were handed over to Mae Ai police for legal proceedings, pending deportation.
In Kanchanaburi, 62 Myanmar migrants were caught in two separate incidents yesterday, authorities said.
Twenty-nine of them were intercepted in Sai Yok district and another 33 in Muang district, according to Lt Gen Banyong Thongnuam, commander of the Surasee Task Force.
Those caught in Sai Yok district said they had travelled from the Myawaddy, Rakhine, Dawai and Magwe. They were found hiding in the forest.
The group said they each paid brokers 18,000-20,000 baht to take them to employers in Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Suphan Buri, Chon Buri and Ratchaburi.
In Muang district, local police and immigration officials mounted a joint raid on a corn farm in tambon Ban Kao where they found 33 Myanmar nationals in hiding.
The migrants said they came from various cities in Myanmar and set out foot across the border into Thailand.
They were heading to Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi and Bangkok in search of employment, having paid 19,000 baht each to brokers to secure passage.
The provincial public health office said the 62 migrants had their temperatures taken. None had a fever.
They were charged with illegal entry and remanded in custody of local police pending deportation.
Meanwhile, DoDC director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said an influx of migrants has raised public alarm as they were one factor which triggered previous outbreaks.
Many mass infections originated from migrant workers who worked in markets in Bangkok, Samut Sakhon and more recently in Chiang Mai.
The country's workforce needed migrant workers. However, they must be legally imported so they can be properly registered and go through health checks to prevent widespread infections.