A Thai man, alleged to be a key coordinator in the commercial trafficking of illegal migrants from Myanmar into southern Thailand, has been apprehended by immigration officials in the southern province of Songkhla.

28-year-old “Arnat”, was charged with providing shelter, aid and facilitation in the smuggling of illegal migrant workers into Thailand, working with a human trafficking gang in Myanmar.

Songkhla immigration officials said that Arnat’s arrest follows months of investigation, following the capture of 50 undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar and three Thai guides in Hat Yai District on October 19^th and after a previous arrest in January.

Arnat was implicated by the guides and the Myanmar migrant workers as being a coordinator for the transnational racket. It is believed that the undocumented migrant workers were to be sent to Malaysia to work as labourers.

Immigration officials claim that the suspect admitted that he had received between 5,000 and 7,000 baht for each migrant from the trafficking gang in Myanmar, for arranging their travel from the Thai-Myanmar border in Prachuap Khiri Khan to Songkhla.

A total of 16 million baht has been transferred into his bank accounts this year, said the officials.