Two suspects involved in a human trafficking ring have been arrested after three Rohingya individuals suffocated to death in an airtight pickup truck due to lack of oxygen. Seven others were severely injured, and the vehicle was found abandoned in Chumphon province. The police traced security camera footage to apprehend the suspects while they were fleeing towards Bangkok, revealing a larger cross-border operation that charges each Rohingya around 150,000 baht for transportation to Malaysia. Additionally, there are over 300 more victims waiting to cross the border.
The victims, two Rohingya bodies were discovered in the forest in Chumphon on October 17, with eight others in a weakened state, showing signs of distress, and were immediately taken to a local hospital. Following this incident, one more victim died, bringing the total death count to three with seven others injured.
On October 18, police held a meeting at the local police station in Chumphon to strategize their investigation and track down additional suspects. They found that the Rohingya had arrived from Rakhine State in Myanmar and crossed into Thailand illegally to reach Songkhla before heading to Malaysia. A total of 26 individuals were packed into a single pickup truck, and once they reached the scene, the conditions inside forced them to bang on the walls from suffocation. When the driver stopped and opened the truck, they discovered the deceased and unconscious individuals.
Police identified the suspects using CCTV evidence; Pitak Tharanaklang, 30, drove the truck involved while Seksan Kasars, 21, drove another vehicle leading the convoy. Arrest warrants were issued, and the subsequent police operation resulted in both suspects’ capture alongside their vehicles in Phetchaburi province.
During initial questioning, the suspects confessed that this human trafficking network had links across borders. They would transport Rohingya from Rakhine to warehouses in Myawaddy, Myanmar, use military vehicles to transfer them closer to the border with Thailand, and charge them for illegal entry into Malaysia. The suspects now face charges for human trafficking, involuntary manslaughter, and concealing evidence as investigations continue to apprehend other members of the network.
Read more from the “Thai Rath Newspaper” column here.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
