Malaysia finds 139 graves in trafficking camps

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

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