Source nationalmultimedia, 6 Jan
More than 50 migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslims, were apprehended after a pursuit yesterday in Thailand's southern province of Phang Nga when smugglers attempting to transport them in three pick-up trucks were intercepted by civilian authorities.
The group, six of whom are children, have been detained by police pending charges of illegal entry and repatriation, Manit Phianthong, chief of Takua Pa district, said.
Manit led a stakeout that intercepted the three vehicles and later pursued two of the cars, which sought initially to get away.
Manit said they had received tip-offs from residents that illegal migrants were on their way to Malaysia, after being smuggled into Thailand via Ranong. A stakeout was set up on Sunday evening and they spotted the three cars at 3:30am. The three drivers managed to escape in the darkness, after one hit a power pole and two others headed into palm plantations and got stuck.
Of the 53 people held, 37 are believed to be from the Rohingya minority, with the remainder from Bangladesh - a source of increasing numbers of migrants arriving on Thai shores.
Twenty-one of the group are aged under 18 and some are as young as five, according to the chief of Takua Pa district in Phang Nga province.
"The group were from Myanmar and Bangladesh," Manit said. "They arrived on boats and were taken in three trucks into Takua Pa before dawn on Monday" for transit through to Malaysia.
"We had already set up checkpoints as we had information they would come," he added, explaining the trucks were forced onto a side road where the drivers fled, leaving the migrants behind.
The migrants have been taken to be interviewed by social workers to determine if they are victims of trafficking.
"If they are found to be victims, they will be witnesses in a human trafficking case and will be put in shelters... but if not, they will be charged with illegal entry," Manit said.
Thousands of Rohingya - a Muslim minority group not recognised as citizens in Myanmar - have fled deadly communal unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 2012. Most have headed for mainly Muslim Malaysia.
Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya - described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities - as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.
Rights groups say the stateless migrants often fall into the hands of people-traffickers.
They have also criticised Thailand in the past for pushing boatloads of Rohingya entering Thai waters back out to sea and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities.
Thailand said last year it was investigating allegations that some army officials in the kingdom were involved in the trafficking of Rohingya.
Manit led a stakeout that intercepted the three vehicles and later pursued two of the cars, which sought initially to get away.
Manit said they had received tip-offs from residents that illegal migrants were on their way to Malaysia, after being smuggled into Thailand via Ranong. A stakeout was set up on Sunday evening and they spotted the three cars at 3:30am. The three drivers managed to escape in the darkness, after one hit a power pole and two others headed into palm plantations and got stuck.
Of the 53 people held, 37 are believed to be from the Rohingya minority, with the remainder from Bangladesh - a source of increasing numbers of migrants arriving on Thai shores.
Twenty-one of the group are aged under 18 and some are as young as five, according to the chief of Takua Pa district in Phang Nga province.
"The group were from Myanmar and Bangladesh," Manit said. "They arrived on boats and were taken in three trucks into Takua Pa before dawn on Monday" for transit through to Malaysia.
"We had already set up checkpoints as we had information they would come," he added, explaining the trucks were forced onto a side road where the drivers fled, leaving the migrants behind.
The migrants have been taken to be interviewed by social workers to determine if they are victims of trafficking.
"If they are found to be victims, they will be witnesses in a human trafficking case and will be put in shelters... but if not, they will be charged with illegal entry," Manit said.
Thousands of Rohingya - a Muslim minority group not recognised as citizens in Myanmar - have fled deadly communal unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 2012. Most have headed for mainly Muslim Malaysia.
Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya - described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities - as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.
Rights groups say the stateless migrants often fall into the hands of people-traffickers.
They have also criticised Thailand in the past for pushing boatloads of Rohingya entering Thai waters back out to sea and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities.
Thailand said last year it was investigating allegations that some army officials in the kingdom were involved in the trafficking of Rohingya.
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