A court in southern Myanmar has sentenced 92 Thai nationals to three and a half years in prison for entering the country illegally 'to grow crops'.
A senior Immigration Ministry official said on Wednesday the verdicts had been issued a day earlier in Kawthuang, a town on Myanmar’s southern tip.
The official declined to be identified because he was unauthorised to speak to the media.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the verdicts, but made no immediate comment.
The Thais were arrested during a military operation in early July for illegally entering the country and 'attempting to grow rubber crops on 1,500 acres of land'.
Keywords: Myanmar-Tahiland relations, Thai nationals arrest
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The Golden crescent/triangle area is already notorious in transforming it into one stop shop for amphetamines and gun running groups. With being in the cross roads of Indo-China region, Myanmar indeed faces an uphill task in maintaining territorial integrity due to separatist groups primarily financed through illicit trade. No wonder why Myanmar officials are severe in punishing the miscreants.
Am sure these migrants squatters are part of a system which is eying to transform the southern region similar to northern regions bordering Yunnan province of China which has been a safe haven for separatist groups of NE India and private armies of these illicit runners.
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