BANGKOK, 2 April 2013 Immigration Police in Sakon Nakhon arrested 20 illegal Laotian migrant workers who were traveling back to Laos to celebrate Songkran festival.
The 20 Lao people were traveling from Bangkok to Nakhon Panom, in order to cross over to Laos via boat across the Mekong River.
Just one day earlier, on March 30, Sakon Nakhon Police also apprehended 12 Lao workers aged between 18-22 years for entering Thailand illegally.
Last week alone, 50 similar arrests were made in Sakon Nakhon. Authorities attribute the increasing trend of illegal workers entering Thailand to the 300 baht per day minimum wage policy. Police said interception of the illegal migrants will be carried out more intensely, especially during the Songkran festival.
