Nearly 100 undocumented Myanmar workers were apprehended by polices in Kanchanaburi province, hiding in a pomelo orchard after crossing the Thai border. They reportedly intended to travel to inner provinces for work.
Today at 12.30am, Athisan Intra, the governor of Kanchanaburi, Major General Atsadawut Panyarachun, commander of the 9th Infantry Division, and other officials, received a tip off about a large group of undocumented Myanmar nationals entering Thailand.
The information prompted coordinated efforts by security personnel to monitor and investigate the area along Route 323 in Nong Lu subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri district.
The search led to the discovery of a large group of Myanmar nationals hiding in a local pomelo orchard in Moo 8, Nong Lu subdistrict. Authorities devised a plan to surround and apprehend the group.
Upon capture, 70 individuals were detained, including 48 men and 22 women, none of whom possessed the necessary documentation to enter Thailand, nor could they communicate in Thai. They were taken to Sangkhla Buri police station for further questioning.
Through an interpreter, the detainees revealed that they had used natural routes to cross the border and had been led through the forest to avoid checkpoints. The group was abandoned at the orchard by their guide, a fellow Myanmar national, who returned to Myanmar.
They were awaiting further transport by boat when they were apprehended by the officers.
Following their confession, authorities documented the individuals before transferring them to the Sangkhla Buri police station for legal proceedings. They face charges of entering and residing in Thailand without permission.
The Kanchanaburi Immigration Office will proceed with deporting them back to Myanmar.
Today’s pomelo orchard arrest mirrors a string of recent sweeps in Kanchanaburi. In late August, officers intercepted 100 Myanmar nationals after a four-day trek through forests and waterways in Sangkhla Buri.
Days earlier, a pickup carrying 41 migrants bogged down in mud during a police chase. And in June, a dawn raid found 20 migrants hiding in a Thong Pha Phum rubber plantation. Officers say Kanchanaburi remains a prime corridor for smuggling, with porous terrain, river crossings and natural trails linked to Payathonzu.
Tip-offs, SEAL STOP SAVE patrols and task forces continue to target guides and brokers moving people to inner provinces.
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