Police in Thailand have arrested 23 people as of Wednesday, while arrest warrants have been issued against 61 others for their suspected involvement in human trafficking, a police officer said.
Police have launched a search operation against those still at large, according to Phuttichart Ekachan, deputy chief of Thailand's Provincial Police Region 9, which is based in southern Songkhla province, Xinhua reported.
Those captured include local politicians, government officials and police officers, Phuttichart said, stressing that the police will go after all suspects, solely based on evidence and regardless of what positions they are holding.
More than 300 migrants, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, have been rescued and accommodated at a shelter where they are provided with medical aid, food and psychological help, according to Phuttichart.
A special investigation unit has been set up to hunt down Patchuban Angkhachotephan, or "Ko Tong," who is believed to be a key suspect in the smuggling of Rohinyas, deputy national police chief Aek Angsananont said.
Patchuban, along with his accomplices, has reportedly fled to the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, which is adjacent to the Thai border.
Most of those fugitive suspects are believed to be scattered in Thailand and Malaysia, and Thai authorities are now seeking cooperation with Interpol and Malaysia to bring them to justice, Aek said.
