Thailand detains 212 fortuneseekers

Thailand navy have detained 212 Bangladeshi nationals and kept at the country’s immigration detention centre for quizzing.
They have been picked over the last two to three months while being taken to Malaysia by some brokers using sea route.
Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok last week informed about the people by sending official letters to the foreign and home ministries, Shafiqul Islam, additional secretary (security and immigration) of home, told The Daily Star this evening.
“Last week, we got a letter about the people. We have already forwarded those to the addresses of the people for verification because we need to be confirmed whether the detainees are Bangladeshis or Rohingyas,” he said.
If the home ministry is confirmed about that the detainees are Bangladeshi citizens after the verification then the government will arrange to bring them back, Shafiqul added.
The Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok came to know about the detainees in mid-March.
The Bangladesh embassy sought the real identities of the detainees by sending the letters, he said.
So, the home ministry asked the offices of 22 superintends of police to verify the identities.
According to the letters sent by Muhammad Ehteshamul Haque, minister (consular) at the Bangladesh embassy, these people tried to go to Malaysia with the assistance of some brokers comprising Bangladeshis and other nationalities. They were arrested by the Thailand navy by past several months.
Initially, two officials from Bangladesh embassy quizzed these people at the detention centre and all of them admitted that they are Bangladeshis.