Authorities intensified efforts to intercept a human trafficking ring in Sa Kaeo Province, detaining 37 Cambodian nationals who illegally entered the country concealed inside a foam sheet truck. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
At 11:30 p.m. on the night of 8 Jan 2026 GMT+7, the Burapha Task Force, through the Aranyaprathet Special Operations Unit, ordered Colonel Pongsakorn Suengam, commander of the 12th Ranger Regiment Control Unit, to coordinate with Pol. Col. Chuchart Khongmuang, superintendent of Khlong Luek Police Station, and Pol. Col. Rung Thongmon, superintendent of Sa Kaeo Immigration Office. They deployed personnel from the 1201th Ranger Company in joint operations with Khlong Luek Police and Sa Kaeo Immigration to patrol and prevent illegal border crossings on the Ban Dong Ngu–Ban Pa Rai road in Pa Rai Subdistrict, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province, reinforcing border security.
Later, the joint operation team spotted a suspicious white Isuzu 6-wheel truck, license plate 82-2845 Sa Kaeo, fully loaded with large foam sheets, traveling on the Ban Dong Ngu–Ban Pa Rai road. Officers signaled the vehicle to stop for inspection, but it accelerated to flee, eventually abandoning the truck roadside. The driver fled on foot into a nearby sugarcane field under cover of darkness.
Officers inspected the truck and found the rear cargo area stacked with large foam sheets wrapped in clear plastic. Upon opening, they discovered 37 Cambodian migrants hiding inside: 15 men, 17 women, and 5 children. None possessed passports or permission to enter Thailand. The truck was seized, and all 37 migrants were taken for processing and interrogation at Khlong Luek Police Station, Sa Kaeo.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the truck’s large foam sheets were arranged like walls surrounding a central hollow space resembling a hall or tunnel, where the 37 undocumented Cambodian migrants were concealed after being smuggled across the border. The foam sheets covered the rear and top of the cargo area, making the truck appear as a normal foam sheet transport. However, officers noticed irregularities and successfully intercepted the vehicle.
The fleeing driver is believed to be Thai. Authorities have detained all 37 Cambodian migrants and seized the 6-wheel truck as evidence, handing them over to investigators at Khlong Luek Police Station, Sa Kaeo. The migrants face charges of "being foreign nationals from Cambodia entering and residing in the kingdom without permission." Investigations are underway to track down the driver for legal action, as this case poses a threat to national security.
The Cambodian migrants admitted they entered Thailand illegally seeking work because of unemployment and starvation in their homeland. They claimed the Cambodian government neglects them, forcing them to risk illegal entry into Thailand to avoid starvation. They reportedly paid human traffickers 7,500 to 8,000 baht each to be smuggled into Thailand.