In Malaysia, four Thai nationals are set to face charges in court on Friday in connection to the 2015 discovery of mass graves and suspected human trafficking camps near the border with Thailand. Malaysia’s Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has announced that these individuals were extradited from Thailand earlier this week and will be charged at a sessions court in Perlis state.
The dense forests found in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia have long been a major hub for people smugglers who transport individuals to Southeast Asia by boat. Most of these unfortunate souls are Rohingya Muslims escaping discrimination and squalid conditions in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh.
In 2015, the discovery of camps and mass graves on the Thai side of the border triggered a crackdown on people smugglers by Thai authorities. This, in turn, led to traffickers deserting thousands of desperate migrants at sea. These individuals were stranded on overcrowded boats, attempting to make their way to the border area.
The Criminal Court in Thailand prosecuted 62 people in 2017, at the conclusion of the country’s largest ever human-trafficking trial. Those convicted included an army general, police officers, and provincial officials. The four people who are to be charged in Malaysia are linked to the border camps discovered in 2015 during the course of investigations between the two countries.
Although Saifuddin did not specifically outline the charges the four will face, he emphasized Malaysia’s commitment to maintaining border security and tackling cross-border crimes with particular focus on human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Out of the ten Thai nationals that Malaysia had sought for extradition since 2017, these four have been part of the ongoing investigation into the border camps. This comes after Malaysia launched a public inquiry in 2019 to determine if authorities had mishandled their investigation into the 139 graves and over 12 campsites suspected to be managed by people-smuggling groups.
The inquiry discovered weaknesses in border patrols, but concluded that no Malaysian enforcement officials, public servants, or locals were involved with trafficking or migrant smuggling syndicates. This information can be found in a report published on the website of the Home Affairs Ministry.
As the fight against human trafficking continues, the Malaysian government is determined to hold those responsible for these heinous acts accountable and put an end to such crimes within their borders.
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