Human smuggling suspect faces charges after being revived by CPR
A suspect in an illegal migrant smuggling case collapsed while being interrogated by Surat Thani highway police on Wednesday, but was revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and will now face charges.
Police on Wednesday stopped a suspicious truck on Highway No. 41 in Chaiya district of Surat Thani province after spotting “breathing holes” in the truck’s canvas cover.
Police said officials searched the six-wheeler truck and found 111 Myanmar nationals – 89 males and 22 females – lying packed in the vehicle. All the migrants were later brought to the public service centre operated by Chaiya Police Station.
Police also arrested two Thai nationals, Anat (33), the driver, and Keukul (23) who was in the front passenger seat, and brought them to the police station for interrogation.
The driver reportedly admitted to being paid 50,000 baht to drive the illegal migrants to an employer in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province.
During the interrogation, Keukul reportedly collapsed with a seizure. His breathing and heartbeats stopped, police said. A highway police officer promptly performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on him for about two minutes, until the suspect resumed breathing.
Keukul was later sent to Chaiya Hospital for a full checkup.
Police charged the two Thai suspects with assisting foreigners to enter and stay in the Kingdom illegally, and hiding illegal foreigners from the authorities.
Police said they would track down the person behind this operation as well as other accomplices from contact numbers in the suspect’s telephones.
