Six Myanmar migrant workers and 23 Bengalis were arrested by Thai security forces on September 12 for illegally entering Thailand.  

A Thai patrol team comprising soldiers, police and local authorities captured the six Myanmar workers who illegally crossed the border to Thailand via Kanchanaburi on the morning of September 12. They were arrested together with a 28-year-old Thai woman in a car who was driving them.  

The six Myanmar workers living in Dawei and Bago had to pay 18,000 to 20,000 baht to the broker to cross the border to Thailand.  

Likewise, 23 Bengalis from Myanmar were arrested by a Thai anti-human trafficking squad in Metaung Village, Mae Sot, for their illegal entry.

The 23 Bengalis (16 women, four men and three children) brought to Thailand by a human trafficker would be reportedly transported to Malaysia.

Moe Gyo, chairman of the Joint Action Committee for Burma Affairs (JACBA) based in Mae Sot, has already urged Myanmar workers not to come to Thailand as there are stricter cross-border and inter-province travel restrictions during the Covid-19 crisis. He warned that they could face arrest even if they pay money.

The arrestees are facing legal actions for illegally crossing the border and breaching the pandemic act.