Thai authorities have arrested 17 Myanmar nationals, including a one-year-old child, for illegal entry.

A pickup truck carrying Myanmar nationals fled at a checkpoint in Sangkhla Buri District, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, and the Myanmar nationals who were left behind in the vehicle have been arrested as the driver run away.

At around 12:30 am on March 21, officers from Sangkhla Buri District, Kanchanaburi Province, spotted a suspicious pickup truck on Highway 323 heading towards Thong Pha Phum District. The driver refused to stop and drove away despite being signaled to stop.

Officers then chased the fleeing vehicle and the pickup truck reached a dense forest area near a popular resort in Village 3 in Nong Lu Sub-district, Sangkhla Buri District, where the driver abandoned the vehicle in a secluded area and fled the scene.

The vehicle is believed to have contained three males and 14 females, including five children and a one-year-old baby.

The Myanmar nationals were interrogated by officials and they confessed to the illegal entry. They said they paid 10,000 baht each in exchange for help finding jobs. The Myanmar nationals were taken to Sangkhla Buri Police Station, according to reports from Thailand.

Ref: Khaosod English