Twelve Chinese nationals were arrested after allegedly crossing illegally into Thailand from Myanmar and attempting to hide in a cornfield in the Mae Sot district of Tak province.
The arrests followed a tip-off from residents of Mae Kon Ken village in tambon Maha Wan, who told authorities they saw a number of people jump from a pickup truck and flee into a banana grove beside the road linking Huai Phak La village in tambon Mae Ku with the Thai-Myanmar border near Mae Kon Ken village.
The locals immediately notified village leaders, who coordinated with territorial defence volunteers, border patrol police, soldiers and local police to search the area.
The suspects, who were later found to be Chinese nationals, were tracked to a cornfield near Pha Kwan village, close to Mae Kon Ken village.
Authorities said the location was opposite Dongmei Park on the Myanmar side of the Moei River, near the Thai border. The area is known for investments by the Dongmei Group and has been linked to scam syndicates operating in Myawaddy township in Myanmar.
Five Chinese nationals were found in the cornfield while others fled and scattered along the Moei River. Another suspect was later found walking along a road in tambon Mae Ku and additional search operations along the border led to the arrest of the remaining Chinese nationals. A total of 12 people were caught.
An inspection found that 11 of the detainees had no identification documents, while only one possessed travel documents.
During questioning, all 12 admitted they had illegally crossed the border from Myanmar into Thailand.
They were charged with illegal entry and crossing the border via an unauthorised checkpoint. All were handed over to Tak immigration officers for further investigation and legal proceedings.
