LAMPHUN – Highway police have arrested an inter-provincial tour bus driver and his crew for trying to smuggle undocumented migrants from Myanmar into central Thailand.
Pol. Lt. Col. Kiatiporn Sawatdithep said Highway Police officers stopped a Bangkok to Thaton tour bus on Highway 11 in Mae Tha, Lamphun, during a night patrol. They detained Mr Rangsarn, age 46 (the driver), and Ms Saengdao, age 42 (a staff member), after discovering that almost half of the passengers were undocumented migrants from Myanmar.
Pol. Lt. Col. Kiatiporn told the Manager Online that officers signalled the bus to pull over for inspection. Inside, they found 18 Myanmar nationals, 16 men and 2 women. Four were hiding behind the driver’s seat without tickets. Fourteen more were seated with tickets, but their names didn’t match the documents.
Both the driver and the staffer told police they picked up all passengers at Chiang Mai’s Arcade Bus Terminal for a trip to Bangkok.
When officers talked to the 18 migrants, they admitted entering Thailand through the Mae Sai border checkpoint in Chiang Rai. Each person paid a local broker (a Tai Yai agent) a fee of 15,000 baht to help them find work in Bangkok.
The broker then arranged for them to board the inter-provincial tour bus in Chiang Mai.
Based on the investigation, authorities have charged Mr Rangsarn and Ms Saengdao with helping illegal migrants avoid arrest. The 18 Myanmar nationals face charges of entering and staying in Thailand without permits.
All suspects have been handed over to investigators at Mae Tha Police Station in Lamphun for legal action.
Migrant smuggling has become a big problem in northern Thailand, mostly because the area shares open borders with Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. The smugglers take advantage of the rough landscape and weak border checks to move people who are looking for better lives or escaping hardship.
Many migrants hope to find work in farming, construction, or other jobs that pay little. Organized smuggling groups control these routes and charge high fees, putting people at risk during the trip. Migrants face unsafe travel, abuse, and possible arrest along the way.
Thai officials have tried to stop these illegal networks with more patrols and raids. But problems with corruption and constant demand for affordable labour make action hard. Many migrants end up in unsafe conditions, caught between strict rules and limited choices for a better life.
