KANCHANABURI: Army border patrols arrested a total of 235 Myanmar job seekers who arrived in two groups in Sangkhla Buri and Muang districts on Monday, police reported.
About 2.30pm, 31 men and 19 women were arrested near Song Karia, the Moo 8 village in tambon Nong Lu in Sangkhla Buri.
They said they had travelled from Mawlamyine, Moulmein and Phayathonezu townships to Bo Yipun village near the Thai border. There, they were met by four guides, who led them to cross the border through a natural crossing to Song Karia village.
When the patrol arrived, the four guides had fled, leaving the 50 to be arrested.
The job seekers said they had paid 23,000-25,000 baht each to brokers for promised work in Samut Sakhon, Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom and Chon Buri.
Later on Monday, 120 men and 65 women were caught near Huay Nam Khao, the Moo 2 village in tambon Ban Kao of Muang district.
They said they were from Bago, Mawlamyine, Rakhine, Magway, Yangon and Irrawaddy townships in Myanmar, destined for jobs in Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Bangkok. Some of them had paid 20,000-30,000 baht each to job brokers while others would make the payment on arriving at their workplace.
They were all to be deported after legal proceedings on charges of illegal entry at Sangkhla Buri and Muang police stations.