Thai police arrest two for human trafficking
Thai police arrest two for human trafficking
Thai police yesterday arrested two Thai nationals on charge of human trafficking after 134 suspected victims were found in southern Thailand in last three days.
The two Thais were charged of trafficking a group of 53 men -- 38 Bangladeshis and 15 Rohingyas --, found on Saturday at a rubber plantation, according to a report of Reuters.
Contacted, an official of Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok said they knew that the Bangladeshis were taken, by fishing boats, to an island near the Thai-Malaysian border by human traffickers.
“We will interview the detained Bangladeshis to identify the traffickers,” he told The Daily Star over phone.
He said they had already identified around 700 Bangladeshis since last March and took initiatives to send them back home.
Of the detainees, around 300 Bangladeshis have already been sent back home and 100 more would be sent back soon, the official added.
He, however, said they couldn't gather information about the culprits behind the trafficking of the Bangladeshis from the detainees.
Meanwhile, the report of the Reuters said the 134 people have been found between Saturday and Monday in Phang Nga, near southern border of Thailand.
The 53-strong group was found at a rubber plantation in the province, said Churin Kwanthong, head of the Phang Nga office of the Ministry and Social Development and Human Security.
He said authorities were interviewing the remaining 79, who were discovered on a remote island on Monday.
"We have to wait for further information on this group to see if they were tricked in to coming or whether they came of their own volition," said Churin. "If they were tricked then we would also consider them victims of human trafficking".
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who seized power in a May coup, has vowed to "prevent and suppress human trafficking".
However, a human rights group said the latest discovery showed little progress had been made.
"Although the arrest of alleged traffickers can be viewed as a positive step, the discovery of these groups shows that trafficking routes in Thailand are still very active," Sunai Phasuk, Thailand senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters.