SONGKHLA: Thai police confirmed 39 people, including a six-year-old child, out of 61 Myanmar nationals detained in Hatyai last Friday were victims of human trafficking.
Assistant police chief Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn said the group of Myanmar nationals were detained at a resort in Hat Yai, Songkhla, on March 25.
“Investigations found that 39 of them were victims of human trafficking, including 26 Rohingya aged between six and 17 years.
“Besides that, 22 of them (out of 61) are illegal immigrants. All of them entered Thailand and were on their way to Malaysia,“ he told reporters at the Sadao District Border Police Headquarters, Songkhla.
Surachate said all the detainees are expected to be deported to their countries of origin after completion of the investigation and documentation process.
“Illegal immigrants will be prosecuted and sent back to their countries of origin, while further investigations will be carried out on victims of human trafficking to track down the mastermind,“ he said.
Surachate said initial investigation found that about 400 Myanmar nationals had been brought into Thailand before being sent to Malaysia.-Bernama
