CHIANG MAI: A patrol from the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the Pha Muang Force arrested 45 illegal border crossers from Myanmar in Fang district on Tuesday morning.
Col Veerachai Pongkaew, the regiment commander, said the patrol was dispatched to Ban Tham in tambon Mae Ngon on reports that a group of suspected illegal migrants was sighted near the village.
About 5am the soldiers found and rounded up 45 Myanmar nationals, 23 men and 22 women, and a Thai guide identified as Sai Som, 25, from Muang district of Chiang Mai.
The Myanmar people were all from Muang Touan in Shan State. They said they had each paid 20,000-23,000 baht to brokers for jobs in Bangkok.
After health screening they were handed over to police for legal proceedings, pending deportation.
The Thai guide was charged with providing assistance to illegal border crossers.