Malaysia finds 139 graves in trafficking camps : The Tribune India

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Malaysia finds 139 graves in trafficking camps

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has found 139 graves with bodies bearing signs of torture near 28 abandoned human trafficking camps, suspected to have been used by gangs to detain Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslim migrants, in the country’s mountainous jungle region bordering Thailand.

Malaysia finds 139 graves in trafficking camps

Forensic policemen carry body bags with human remains found in a jungle close the Thailand border near Wang Kelian. Reuters



Kuala Lumpur, May 25

Malaysia has found 139 graves with bodies bearing signs of torture near 28 abandoned human trafficking camps, suspected to have been used by gangs to detain Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslim migrants, in the country’s mountainous jungle region bordering Thailand. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said it remained unclear how many bodies were buried in the inaccessible area along the Thai border.

The graves were found in Wang Kelian region where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar were reportedly being held, after an operation that began on May 11.

“We don’t know how many bodies are in the graves but exhumation works started today. We can’t tell yet if they are the Rohingyas or Bangladeshis. We found a highly decomposed body on the ground, believed to have died two weeks ago,” Bakar said. “(Authorities) found 139 suspected graves. They are not sure how many bodies are inside each grave,” he said, a day after authorities announced the discovery of mass graves.

The dense jungles of southern Thailand and northern Malaysia have been a major route for smugglers bringing people to Southeast Asia by boat from Myanmar, most of them Rohingya Muslims who say they are fleeing persecution, and Bangladesh.

The discovery by the police has proved claims that there were such trafficking camps on the Malaysian side of the border, believed to be set up by human trafficking syndicates. The Malaysian discovery follows earlier denials by the government that such grisly sites existed in the country. Prime Minister Najib Razak today said he was “deeply concerned” by the graves, vowing to “find those responsible”. The police chief said the Malaysian authorities are working closely with their counterparts in Thailand. — PTI

5 drowned, 20 held in illegal immigration bid 

Cairo: At least five persons were drowned today and 20 others arrested in Egypt while they were trying to migrate illegally to Italy. Five bodies were fished out of the Borlos Lake in the Kafr el-Sheikh governorate. They were trying to reach Italy via the Mediterranean Sea, police said. The incident was reported after some residents saw bodies floating and informed the police. PTI 

Bangladesh to punish illegal migrants

Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called for strict punishment to migrants, who illegally leave Bangladesh and set out towards Southeast Asia by sea, and the human-traffickers who assist them, media reported on Monday. "They are tainting the image of our country on the international stage, and putting their own lives in danger," Hasina said. IANS

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