SONGKHLA – Immigration officials in Songkhla province stopped a 10-wheeler truck on Asia Highway in Rattaphum district and found five Bangladeshis hiding in the cargo hold.
The truck, with a Nakhon Pathom license plate, was driven by 49-year-old Mr. Suwan, who aroused the officers’ suspicion on Thursday. The Bangladeshis were found hiding in the cargo compartment, which had a hole drilled in the floor for ventilation.
Mr. Suwan confessed that he had been hired to transport the five Bangladeshis from Prachinburi province to Songkhla for a fee of 1,000 baht per person. He said he had smuggled illegal immigrants many times before, with the highest number being 20-24 people.
The Bangladeshis said they had traveled illegally from Cambodia and were hoping to work in Malaysia. They had paid 400,000 taka (about 100,000 baht) each for the journey.
Mr. Suwan was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration, while the five Bangladeshis were charged with entering and remaining in the kingdom without permission. They were all taken to the Rattaphum Police Station for further processing.
According to a report by the Department of Employment of the Ministry of Labor, a total of 25,628 checks were carried out for illegal foreign workers from 1 October 2023 to 18 March 2024. Of these, 820 cases resulted in legal action, with 1,689 illegal foreign workers found.
It was found that 721 of these workers are taking jobs away from Thais, mainly in Bangkok and the surrounding areas, Phuket, Samui, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.
The most common occupations for illegal foreign workers are: Market vendors, nail salon workers, car mechanics, street vendors, food vendors and workers in pubs and bars
The occupations in which illegal foreign workers most often take jobs from Thais are: Door-to-door sales, hairdressing, driving and massage
Of the 1,689 people who were prosecuted, 875 were from Myanmar, 318 from Cambodia, 231 from Laos, 87 from Vietnam and 178 from other countries. Recently, more and more Bangladeshis have been apprehended, especially when trying to cross the border into Malaysia.
