SONGKHLA: Thirteen men from Myanmar were arrested by a combined police-military team near the border with Malaysia in Sadao district on Thursday morning.
The illegal migrants were detained as they were about to sneak across the border into Malaysia near demarcation post 23/17 at Moo 7 village in tambon Samnak Kham, opposite Kedah state.
The men reportedly said they entered Thailand illegally in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in a group of 30. From there, they proceeded in two pickup trucks to Hat Yai in Songkhla, where they spent one night before proceeding to the border.
They said they had paid 40,000 baht each to brokers for fishing and construction jobs in Penang and other Malaysian states.
The migrants were handed over to immigration police in Sadao for further legal proceedings. An investigation was under way to find the people who arranged for their travel.
