408 illegal migrant workers nabbed along Thai-Cambodian border

SA KAEO, April 25 (TNA) - Combined government forces and customs officials here on Saturday apprehended 408 Cambodians at a jungle near the Thai-Cambodian border and charged them for illegal entry, police said. The arrested Cambodians -- 336 men and 72 women -- were found hiding at a riverside camp inside the eucalyptus forest in the border district of Aranyaprathet, police said, adding that more than 100 others illegal immigrants escaped the arrest and managed to swim across the border back to their country. None of the arrested Cambodians possessed no travel document, according the Thai authorities. At the camp, the authorities found several makeshift shops built and operated by Thai people to sell foods and necessities to illegal immigrants. The owners had managed to flee the scene after seeing the authorities. The authorities also found a makeshift bamboo bridge which was used by the illegal immigrants to cross from the Cambodian side into Thailand. The bridge was later removed. A police officer said the area where the illegal Cambodians were arrested was a temporary camp for illegal immigrants run by a Thai human trafficking gang. He said the illegal Cambodians would be transported to work in Bangkok or other provinces in Central and Eastern provinces. Each Cambodian would be charged 2,000 baht for the transport, which means the human trafficking gang could make over 1 million baht daily from this illegal business. Police said they would expand their hunting for those who are behind the crime. (TNA)