The Appeals Court yesterday sentenced a Myanmar national to 14 and half years in jail, and gave 13 and a half years to his two accomplices in a human-trafficking case. The three men were found guilty of forcing their compatriots to work on fishing boats for no pay.

The three men had initially been sentenced to 19 years and 16 years in jail respectively.

The three defendants, aged between 34 and 43, facing charges of human trafficking, illegal detention and obstructing officials, were being sued for conspiring to lure Myanmar nationals across the border by falsely offering them jobs at a shrimp factory in Samut Sakhon from July to August 3, 2009. They allegedly said the victims would be paid Bt300 daily.

However, once the victims crossed over to Thailand, they were detained in a rented room in Chon Buri and later forced to work on a fishing boat for no money, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit was filed after the defendants demanded a Bt15,000 ransom from a victim's family, who then contacted Thai authorities leading to their arrest.

From: nationmultimedia.com