Security forces in Sangkhla Buri seized a pickup truck illegally carrying over 1,600 liters of diesel fuel intended for smuggling into Myanmar. The driver was not found. In addition, authorities arrested illegal migrant workers who had entered the country unlawfully. They reported being unemployed at home.
On 19 July 2026, Pol. Maj. Gen. Pasavee Ruangphu, Commander of Kanchanaburi Provincial Police, Pol. Col. Santi Pitaksakul, Chief of Sangkhla Buri Police Station, Col. Janyut Prasertphongthorn, Deputy Commander of Lat Ya Task Force/Deputy Commander of 19th Infantry Regiment, Kanchanaburi Province, Pol. Lt. Manat Promsaksophon, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Sangkhla Buri Police, Pol. Lt. Pradit Raephat, Patrol Officer at Sangkhla Buri Police, customs officers, border patrol police company 134, Kanchanaburi Immigration, and local administrative officers jointly conducted patrols at the Nam Kiek checkpoint. They carried out border patrols to prevent illegal migrant entry and smuggling of drugs and tax-evaded goods, following orders from their superiors.
Near the entrance to Ban Mae Tiew Village, Moo 8, Nong Lu Subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri District, about 4 kilometers from the border, authorities found a gray-black Isuzu D-Max pickup truck, license plate BW 3607 Kanchanaburi, heading toward Ban Phra Chedi Sam Ong. The patrol team inspected the vehicle and found no driver. They searched the truck bed, which was covered with a gray tarp, and discovered eight blue plastic barrels each containing about 200 liters of diesel fuel, totaling approximately 1,600 liters. The customs penalty value, calculated at four times the tax, amounts to 236,800 baht. The officers seized the vehicle and diesel fuel and handed them over to the investigators at Sangkhla Buri Police Station for further investigation and to find those responsible for prosecution.
Later, the arrest team received a tip from an informant about a human trafficking operation involving Myanmar migrant workers. The officers patrolled along the border in Moo 8, Ban Nam Kiek, Nong Lu Subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri District, Kanchanaburi Province, opposite Bo Nipon Village in Myanmar. They found a group of 40 working-age men and women, 28 men and 12 women, all from Myanmar. The officers identified themselves and requested documents, but the group could not provide any. They were charged under the Immigration Act and arrested. All suspects were taken to Sangkhla Buri Police Station for prosecution and further investigation.
Ms. Kin, 24, from Rakhine State, Myanmar, told reporters she fled ongoing conflict in Myanmar, where fighting is constant and there is no work at home. She feared starvation if she stayed, so she took the risk to enter Thailand to work in inner areas of the country. She planned to work as a housekeeper in Chumphon Province and paid a broker 30,000 baht for the passage. She had previously worked in Thailand.