CHUMPHON: Authorities in Lang Suan District have arrested a suspect involved in the smuggling of Rohingya individuals after 26 people were left abandoned in a forest, resulting in the suffocation deaths of three and severe injuries to 10 others.
According to Thai News Agency, forensic police and investigation teams at Lang Suan Police Station in Chumphon Province conducted interrogations and collected DNA samples from 16 Rohingya individuals who were detained near Wat Sekkharam, Wang Takao Subdistrict. The detained individuals are being questioned further following the discovery of three deceased Rohingya bodies and the hospitalization of 10 others suffering from oxygen deprivation. These individuals remain under close medical observation after being admitted to the hospital.
Pol. Col. Chalat Phonlakan, Superintendent of Lang Suan Police Station, disclosed that initial investigations revealed a group of 26 Rohingya was being transported in a covered pickup truck. Two Thai teenagers, identified as the truck
drivers, were apprehended in Phetchaburi Province following arrest warrants issued by the Lang Suan Provincial Court. They are currently in detention for further questioning regarding the origins of the Rohingya group, while one suspect remains at large.
Preliminary findings indicate that the Rohingya were collected from Mae Sot District on October 14th. During their journey, the smugglers executed two vehicle changes to evade police inspections, utilizing a leading vehicle for surveillance. Upon reaching Lang Suan Police Station’s vicinity, the drivers noticed the suffocation of the Rohingya passengers and abandoned them before fleeing the scene.
The investigation is ongoing to determine if the driver responsible for abandoning the Rohingya is linked to a broader human trafficking network. Pol. Col. Phonlakan noted that further investigation time is required to ascertain any connections. If ties to a trafficking gang are established, the investigation will be expanded, and additional arrest warrants will b
e issued. The modified covered trucks, bearing Nong Khai and Bangkok license plates, are being examined, and further DNA evidence is collected at Lang Suan Police Station.