Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – On November 11, Thai Immigration Bureau Chief, Lieutenant General Panuma, received a cabinet order to comprehensively strengthen the management of foreign nationals entering Thailand from Myawaddy, Myanmar. According to the order, all illegal border crossers must be entered into the Immigration Bureau's information system to prevent them from re-entering Thailand.
This escalation of controls stems from a recent special operation launched by the Myanmar government in the Myawaddy region. This operation focused on cracking down on the large-scale fraud operation "KK Park," completely dismantling the group's main stronghold. As the local situation became tense, many foreign nationals working in the park risked crossing the Moei River to illegally enter Thailand through natural passages in an attempt to avoid conflict. The Thai military, police, and local government have been jointly conducting interception, screening, and repatriation operations at the border.
Thai Immigration Bureau spokesperson, Major General Chinglong, stated that Immigration Bureau Chief, Lieutenant General Panuma, along with his deputy and other staff, flew to Mae Sot province on November 10 to inspect border control and the progress of foreign national repatriation with Prime Minister Anutin.
According to statistics, since October 22, approximately 1,440 foreign nationals have illegally entered Thailand, including 465 Indians, 270 Africans, 220 Filipinos, and 187 Chinese nationals, with the remainder from various other countries. All are currently in custody and will be deported according to Thailand's 1979 Immigration Act.
The Immigration Bureau emphasized that all arrested individuals must undergo screening through the "National Referral Mechanism." This mechanism is a multi-sectoral collaborative system established by Thailand based on international standards, aimed at identifying and protecting victims of human trafficking and forced labor.
Furthermore, Lieutenant General Panuma has instructed the Tak Provincial Immigration Bureau to collect biometric data from all illegal immigrants and enter it into the Immigration Bureau's information system to prevent them from re-entering Thailand with falsified identity documents. This measure also helps to prevent some individuals from being lured back to neighboring countries by fraud groups to engage in illegal activities and fall into similar predicaments again.
Meanwhile, the Thai Immigration Bureau has ordered all airport immigration checkpoints nationwide to strengthen entry screening, refusing entry to foreign nationals who have been deported from Myanmar's fraud rings, as these individuals are considered potentially criminal suspects. The focus of screening includes travelers from South Asia and East Africa, particularly young travelers traveling alone without clear travel plans or booked return tickets and accommodations. This group is considered high-risk, vulnerable to being lured into illegal work by fraud rings offering high-paying jobs. Statistics show that since the beginning of this year, Thai airport immigration authorities have issued warnings to 3,384 such travelers.
