Authorities interview Thai fishermen rescued from Indonesia

BANGKOK, April 10 (TNA) - Authorities from three government offices on Friday interviewed 63 Thai fishermen who were brought back home from Indonesia’s Ambon Island. The fishermen, who flew home by a Royal Thai Air Force C130 transport plane on Thursday, were interviewed by Social Development and Human Security Ministry Spokesman Anusan Thienthong, Commander of Anti-Human Trafficking Division Police Major General Thiti Sangsawang and a Labour Ministry official. Four out of a total of the 68 rescued fishermen are being detained on legal charges they had committed in Thailand earlier, while another one is receiving a treatment at a local hospital. Anusan told journalists that the purpose of the interview is to allow officials know how many of the rescued fishermen were actually human trafficking victims and how many of them went to work in Indonesia voluntarily. The interview was expected to end by April 10 and those wishing to continue staying at the government-sponsored labour assistant centre would receive 3,000 baht each as personal expenses and would become witnesses against human trafficking gangs, while the Labour Ministry would also find jobs for them. Police Major General Thiti, meanwhile, acknowledged police have obtained information showing that there are many suspected human trafficking gangs and police are closely monitoring activities of a gang run in Mahachai seaside area of Bangkok's adjacent Samut Sakhon Province, in particular, and are ready to apprehend the leader of the suspected gang soon. (TNA)