Nineteen Chinese migrants were arrested for illegally entering Thailand through a jungle border.

Immigrant police officers found the Chinese nationals in two rented houses in Chiang Mai province before they were taken for the Covid-19 tests.

Police Major General Decha Kalayawutthipong, chief of the Immigration Division 5, led the officers to inspect the houses and found the group, who had illegally settled there.

Pol. Maj. Decha said officers had been informed by neighbors who were concerned that Chinese might have been involved in some illegal activities.

The group, a mixture of men and women, were arrested on suspicion of illegal staying in Thailand. Ten of the suspects had passports while the others had no documentation.

They reportedly confessed that they had entered the country via a natural border pass before the agency took them to the detention centres.

Police are now searching for the brokers who allegedly trafficked the Chinese nationals into Thailand. The suspects will be quarantined at Chiang Mai Central Prison, waiting for the lab test results for the coronavirus.