Smuggled survivors thrown in jail in Thailand

Dozens of smuggled immigrants who survived a suffocating lorry journey that killed 54 of their compatriots were jailed today for illegally entering Thailand.

And they will be deported back to Burma after serving their sentence, a court in Ranong ruled.

Fourteen other survivors under the age of 18 were sent home without trial, they said.

Human traffickers were transporting the 121 migrants inside the locked lorry to the Thai resort town of Phuket on Wednesday, but abandoned the vehicle - normally used for refrigerated seafood – when the cooler failed.

Only 67 survived, including two who remained in hospital today..

The truck’s owner was detained, but the driver and the trip’s organisers were still on the run.

The survivors were found guilty of illegal entry, said a police spokesman.

Unable to pay a £30 fine, they will be jailed for two months before being expelled, he said.