According to Migrant Time, twelve undocumented Myanmar nationals were arrested in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and approximately 700 Myanmar citizens have been detained across the country throughout October for illegal entry.

Thai media reported that on October 29, police in Kanchanaburi stopped a car and found twelve Myanmar nationals inside who could not present legal documents. The arrest took place near the Thamakham area’s railway junction.

Police found the migrants traveling in a Honda Jazz driven by another Myanmar national, who admitted that he had been hired to transport the group from the border crossing at Three Pagodas Pass to Ban Pong Township in Ratchaburi Province. He said he was paid 2,000 baht per person for the trip.

Reports stated that the same driver had previously smuggled seven Myanmar workers about five days earlier and that the car used this time had been borrowed from a friend.

The twelve arrested migrants are believed to have entered Thailand illegally through the border near Three Pagodas Pass and were en route to Ratchaburi when apprehended. They have been sent to Kanchanaburi Police Station for legal action.

According to Thai media reports, from October 1 to October 29, more than 700 Myanmar nationals attempting to cross the border illegally have been arrested in various parts of Thailand.