Two arrested for allegedly smuggling Burmese

Two Thai traffickers and 30 Burmese illegal immigrants were arrested yesterday in Chumphon district, while about to travel to destinations in Thailand to work illegally as labourers.

Narong Lamyao and Chaiyaphorn Nantthamit were arrested at a shop housing the immigrants. Police claim the Thai suspects admitted to the crime, saying they worked for a Burmese couple identified as Jamie and Wai, who collected Bt5,000 from each immigrant and have been in the smuggling business for years.

All 32 suspects were arrested by a military unit while boarding a pickup truck to travel to destinations including Samut Sakhon's Mahachai district, home for a large number of crews from fishing trawlers.

The immigrants are subject to fines for illegal entry and repatriation back to Burma, across the Ranong border line - the original entry point through which they had been smuggled.