BANGKOK: Nineteen Rohingya persons and a Thai woman accused of housing them have been arrested for illegal entry to Thailand, police said on Saturday, as concerns grow about trafficking routes for the Muslim minority fleeing Myanmar.

The embattled Rohingya people have long faced persecution in Myanmar, where they are denied freedom of movement and citizenship, and lack access to work, healthcare and schools.

A 2017 military crackdown in western Rakhine state sent almost 750,000 fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, while many choose to embark on treacherous journeys with human smugglers to reach Malaysia and Indonesia, sometimes going through Thailand.

Thai police said the latest trafficking operation was discovered this week when 19 Rohingya people were found in a house in Bangkok’s Don Mueang district.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2021