BANGKOK, 23 April 2014 – Thai police have arrested a group of Rohingyas after they illegally entered the Thai territory.
Chumphon police apprehended 13 male and 3 female illegal migrants and two Thai nationals identified as Chayuth Sirisom (32) and Yakob Kaewma (41). The two Thais were originally from Prachuap Khiri Khan and Surat Thani. After the arrest, the police said 5 of the migrants were believed to be Muslim Rohingyas, whereas the rest were still unidentified.
The two Thai nationals confessed that they had been hired by a human trafficking network in Prachuap Khiri Khan and that it was the second time they had done that.
Rohingyas are members of an ethnic group who practice Islam. The origin of this group is disputed as some say they are indigenous to the state of Rakhine in Myanmar, while others say they are Muslim migrants who originated in Bengal and then moved to Myanmar during the period of British rule.
