Bangladeshi migrants rescued after days without food

2026-03-18 - 06:40

SONGKHLA — 18 March 2026, Sixteen Bangladeshi migrants were rescued from a rented room in southern Thailand after being left without food or water for three days while awaiting onward transport to Malaysia, officials said. The operation took place in Hat Yai district, where Border Patrol Police Unit 43, together with local security agencies and immigration officers, raided a rental property following reports from residents who had heard cries for help. Officers found the front door locked with multiple padlocks and had to enter through the back. Inside, they discovered 16 men in a weakened and malnourished condition. The migrants pleaded for food, telling authorities they had not eaten or drunk anything for three days. All were taken to Thung Lung police station, where they were given food and water. Through an interpreter, the men said they had travelled from Bangladesh by boat, landing in Phuket after paying brokers about 96,000 baht each. They were then transported by pickup truck and were being held in Songkhla before being smuggled onward to Malaysia for work. Authorities said the case highlights a suspected human trafficking network. Investigations are under way to identify those responsible and proceed with legal action. An officer involved in the rescue said the scene was distressing, noting that the migrants had been left in inhumane conditions without basic necessities for several days.