Thai authorities hunt Rohingya
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Thai authorities have recaptured two of the 87 Rohingya detainees who broke out of an immigration office cell in Songkhla's Sadao district. The search for the remaining detainees continues.
Songkhla governor Kritsada Boonraj said the latest escape of Rohingya detainees occurred early this morning. They were believed to be attempting to flee into Malaysia.
He said combined forces of Sadao police, immigration, government workers and defence volunteers are searching for the escapees and recaptured two who were found fatigued and injured after jumping 10-metres from their cell.
The governor said the authorities had cordoned off a rubber plantation and other likely areas surrounding the holding site to return the rest to detention.
They will be charged with fleeing detention and causing damages to the authorities if they are arrested, said Kritsada.
One hundred thirty seven Rohingyas have reportedly been detained at the Sadao immigration Office for several months after being rescued from human trafficking rings.
Most of the Rohingya minority detainees fled oppression in Myanmar, arriving in Thailand by sea though they had hoped to disembark in Malaysia.
With the Thai government still having no clear policy whether to send the detainees to a third country or not, 30 of them escaped from detention on August 9. They were later re-arrested by the authorities and returned to their cell.
