Highway police arrest Myanmar driver over migrants

2026-02-24 - 06:53

PATHUM THANI — 24 February 2026, Highway police arrested a Myanmar national driving a pickup truck carrying seven undocumented migrant workers on Phahonyothin Road in Pathum Thani province, officers said. The arrest was made under the direction of Pol. Col. Thatcha Pho Suwan, superintendent of Highway Police Division 1, after officers intercepted a suspected vehicle between kilometres 38 and 39 on the inbound side of Phahonyothin Road in Khlong Nueng subdistrict, Khlong Luang district. Police detained Nay Min Latt, 36, a Myanmar national, along with seven undocumented migrants of the same nationality, three men and four women. Officers also seized a grey Toyota Revo pickup truck with Bangkok registration plates and heavily tinted windows. Pol. Lt .Col. Kittipob Thongphet, an inspector with Highway Police Subdivision 1, said the operation followed a policy to crack down on illegal immigration and scam networks. Investigators had learned that a group of migrant workers would be smuggled towards Bangkok and set up surveillance before stopping the vehicle for inspection. During questioning, Nay Min Latt confessed that he had been hired to collect the seven migrants from Nakhon Sawan province and transport them to Bangkok, charging each 1,000 baht. He admitted knowing that none of the passengers had legal documents and said he had carried out similar trips twice before. The migrants, speaking through an interpreter, told police they had crossed the border by boat from Myanmar via Mae Sot district in Tak province. They said they paid an undisclosed amount to a broker to find work in Thailand. All suspects were handed over to investigators at Khlong Luang Police Station for legal proceedings.