KOTA BARU: Thai police believe a major human trafficking syndicate is using Sungai Golok district in southern Thailand as a transit point.
Sungai Golok police chief Col Tangnungsak Wangsupat said this was based on a series of arrests by Thai and Malaysian authorities over the past few months, the latest by the Kelantan Immigration Department.
"I believe they can cross over here easily as there are hundreds of illegal jetties along the Golok river."
Speaking to the New Straits Times at the launching of the Amazing Thailand 2009 exhibition at the Royal Thai Consulate office here yesterday, Wangsupat said police would continue working closely with their Kelantan counterparts to nab the culprits.
Also present at the function were Royal Consul-General Surapon Petch Vra, state police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Jaafar and Kelantan Tourism Action Council general manager Sulaiman Ismail.
The eight-day exhibition, which ends on Aug 18, was opened by state Public Works, Infrastructure and Environment Committee chairman Mohd Anizam Abdul Rahman.
Wangsupat was asked to comment on the arrests of 14 Myanmar nationals, including four children, by Immigration officers on Sunday.
The foreigners were brought into the state by a human trafficking syndicate.
Two brothers and their maid were detained in the operation at Kampung Kubang Panjang, Pasir Mas.
Rahim said all enforcement agencies were ordered to beef up their operations at the border to nab those involved in the syndicate.
"They were directed to increase their checks especially at illegal jetties round-the-clock to ensure the syndicates do not smuggle foreigners into the state again." - NST.
No comments:
Post a Comment