MANILA, Aug. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Friday confirmed that 55 of the 57 Filipinos who had been detained by Thai immigration authorities on July 27 were victims of illegal recruitment.

    Citing a report from Philippine embassy in Bangkok, the DFA said that the other two detainees, who were illegal recruiters, should be prosecuted by Thai immigration officials.

    According to the report, the victims paid the recruiters in the Philippines placement fees of up to 150,000 pesos for jobs in South Korea, Britain and the United States.

    They were given Thai business visas, which supposedly could increase the chances for them to obtain entry visas to the countries of their choices, it added.

    However, Thai authorities said that the business visa applications were made "under highly irregular circumstances," as the two recruiters did not seem to have the capacity to engage the services of all 55.

    The Philippines embassy asked the DFA in the report to alert the National Bureau of Investigation about the local recruiter for possible violation of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act and the Migrant Workers' Act of 1995.

    The embassy also asked the Thai authorities to release the 55 from their custody, especially three ill Filipinos.

    So far, 10 of the 55 Filipinos have been allowed to go home, the embassy added. Enditem