Police officials rounded up
53 Cambodians alleged to be working illegally in Thailand as beggars.
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya police rounded up 53 Cambodians alleged to be
working illegally in Thailand as beggars.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome, Ministry of Social Development
and Human Security and police officials announced the arrest of the six
Khmer men, 22 women and 25 children April 23. The children, used by women to
elicit sympathy from potential donors, ranged in age from 1 month to 1 year
old.
Itthiphol alleged the accused beggars were connected to a
larger human-trafficking ring run by both Thais and Cambodians. Ministry
representative Jaree Sawaneeya agreed, saying there would have been no other
way for many of those apprehended to enter the kingdom as some where missing
limbs while others had recently before been arrested and deported.
All the Cambodians will again be deported in the latest
round of the cat-and-mouse game police officials have been playing with
traffickers.
