Police arrested six Cambodian monks on charges
of illegally entering Thailand.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
Six Cambodian monks were arrested on charges of illegally entering
Thailand during a raid of makeshift shelters in a Banglamung District
forest.
About 50 soldiers were dispatched to the Lamao forest Nov. 19 after reports
that a number of illegal aliens were residing there. Soldiers entering the
area found a number of permanent structures and residents scattered in all
directions.
Only five of the six Cambodian monks captured had passports and only four
had their Khmer birth certificates. All were in the country illegally, due
to expired passports for visas.
The monks were taken to Suthawas Temple where the abbot and Banglamung Monks
Committee chairman Thummasarn defrocked the six and turned them over to
police.
They were then remanded to immigration officials who prepared to deport
them.
