Rohingya News Agency - GNA

The Rohingya were not victims of a human trafficking ring and were detained away from the trafficking camps according to National Police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri.

“The Rohingya were arrested and charged with illegal entry,” he said. “They were trying to pass through Thailand to get to a third country.”

Thailand is a common transit point for Muslim Rohingya migrants trying to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

The Rohingya group, which were arrested over the past several days, are currently being detained in southern Songkhla province, on the Malaysian border.

Thailand announced a crackdown on human trafficking after the discovery of mass graves of Rohingya in Songkhla.

Rights groups say refugees from Myanmar are vulnerable to human trafficking and that as many as 8,000 could be adrift off shore with no access to food or water.