KANCHANABURI: Twenty-two job seekers from Myanmar were arrested after illegally crossing the border into Thong Pha Phum district on Wednesday morning.
Soldiers, police and territorial defence volunteers detained the 17 men and five women in a forested area near Wat Phutthaborisat, Moo 2 village, in tambon Tha Khanun around 8am.
None of them had travel documents. They had entered illegally using natural pathways and appeared exhausted, officers said.
The team had been sent to investigate after a patrol led by village chief Somporn Khamenkhetkarn earlier reported comoing across a parked, empty pickup truck with lots of footprints around it.
During questioning, the migrants said they had paid 13,000-15,000 baht each to job brokers for promised work in Thailand. They had illegally crossed into Thailand and were waiting for tansport to their places of work.
All were handed over to Thong Pha Phum police for legal proceedings.
The 22 illegal migrants are escorted out of the forest for transport to Thong Pha Phum police station in Kanchanaburi. (Photo: Piyar Chongcharoen)