More than 200 Myanmar citizens have reportedly been arrested in two provinces of Thailand for their illegal entry into the country.

They were arrested on December 31 and 31 as they tried to enter Thailand illegally with the help of brokers.

On the night of December 30, 31 men and 19 women were captured in a village of Chanthaburi province. At around 1am on December 31 also, 66 men and 44 women as well as two local guides were arrested together in nine cars in the same province.  

Just after 4am on December 31 also, 26 Myanmar men and 17 women were arrested in a village of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, the public relations center of the Thai army reported.

An activist working in the interest of Myanmar migrant workers said they are being warned that they should not enter Thailand illegally through brokers.

“We are warning Myanmar migrant workers against illegal entry with the help of brokers. But with a high demand from Thailand, Myanmar citizens enter Thailand illegally almost every day. Some were arrested and deported, while some faced at least six months of prison sentence in the immigration detention center. They will face a light sentence if they are arrested on the border. But they are more likely to be jailed if they are arrested in the mainland of the country. We want to say they should enter via official routes. If they do so, they will save cost and be safer. But they need to be patient,” the activist commented.  

Reports say that each arrested worker had to pay 18,000 to 25,000 baht to the brokers. Most of them are from Ayeyawady, Yangon, Mandalay, Magway, Bago and Thaninthayi regions and Rakine and Mon states.

The Thai army’s public relations center announced that all arrested Myanmar nationals had their Covid-19 tests, but they all tested negative.