SONGKHLA, Nov 25 — Thailand’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD) rescued more than 50 Thai workers scammed by illegal employment agent to work in neighbouring Malaysia.
The police division believes that the job agency is connected to a human trafficking syndicate.
A Songkhla Employment Office official, Thanet Sanitwatee, joined AHTD police officers to rescue 51 Thai labourers tricked by an illegal employment agent to work in Thailand’s neighbouring country by providing the workers with fake job documents.
All of the rescued workers have now crossed the Thai-Malaysia border back to Songkhla’s Sa Dao district, where Thai officials are questioning them to find out about what had happened.
One worker said each paid Bt20,000-25,000 to the agency, which provided them with legal traveling documents but false work permits which cut costs for the agency.
In the mean time, the anti-trafficking officers caught two suspects in the case and charged both with conspiring to illegally hire workers to work abroad.
Both suspects are being questioned, as the Thai authorities want to find out whether the scam is connected to any human trafficking syndicate.
Mr Thanet said the 51 Thai workers are skilled labourers and they are in demand in Malaysia. He said that his office would assist them in working out how they could return to work in Malaysia, once all the legal processes concerning the case are completed.
