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Ranong marine police inspector Major Samran Mingraksa said police had contacted local fishermen in the area that they must report police if thy found anymore body. He explained taht police did not take the boats out to look for more bodies because they had done a five-hour search on Saturday but found no more body and since Sunday was the general election day, the police force must provide security to the election. He affirmed that police would send some officers off to investigate if fishermen report of finding more bodies.

Following a tip that many bodies were found mid-sea near Koh Chang in Ranong's Muang district, police until Saturday morning had retrieved the bodies of 11 men, seven women and 4 boys. A national security source in Ranong said that the victims came with a ship, which carried some 50 workers and left Burma's Koh Song since Thursday night for Ranong. But the ship sank one hour later due to overloading.

The source also said that the man identified only as Po Sor, who allegedly was behind this group of worker smuggling now hide in Ranong, thus the authority was also hunting for him.

After being collected of fingerprints and identification evidences, the 22 much-decomposed bodies were buried at Ban Hin Dad cemetery.

The Nation

RANONG