NARATHIWAT: Thai authorities detained 27 ethnic Rohingya in the Salamai sub-district of Tak Bai early Saturday for allegedly trying to enter Malaysia. Narathiwat Regional Immigration chief Col Noppadol Rakchart said those detained — 22 men, three women and two children — were arrested in a lorry at 1.30am. "The lorry driver, identified as Somrak, disclosed that he had driven the Rohingya from Ban Mod, Thung Krut in Bangkok to Narathiwat before handing them over to a syndicate which would smuggle them to Malaysia," he told reporters here. Noppadol said the driver had done the same with two other groups of Rohingya before this and was paid Baht 30,000 (RM3,800) for each trip. Meanwhile, one of the ethnic Rohingya, via an interpreter, said they had entered Thailand through the Mae Sot border after paying Baht 15,000 (RM1,900) to the syndicate.

Source: The Star March 18, 2017 02:48 UTC