Chumphon, February 22nd, 2025 – Task Force Infantry Regiment 25 and related authorities uncovered an illegal migrant smuggling operation in Tha Sae district, Chumphon, following intelligence reports.
Officials discovered 36 undocumented Myanmar migrants in a remote jungle hideout, about 5 kilometers from Phetkasem Road. The site had makeshift tents and scattered waste, indicating prolonged occupancy.
The migrants appeared weak and unkempt, having gone days without proper care. The smugglers had fled before authorities arrived, according to the officers. The migrants revealed they had traveled from various regions in Myanmar, passing through Yangon and Mawlamyine before reaching Thailand via the Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanaburi.
They were then transported by SUV to a palm plantation in Tha Sae, where they waited for five days before continuing to Hat Yai, Songkhla. Their final destination was Malaysia, where relatives would pay traffickers 50,000 baht per person upon arrival, according to the officers. Authorities have taken the migrants into custody and transferred them to Tha Sae Police Station for legal proceedings.
