Arakan News Agency
Malaysian authorities have discovered what they believe are 139 graves in a series of abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma have been held.
Malaysian authorities have discovered what they believe are 139 graves in a series of abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma have been held.
Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said at least 28 camps were found along a 30-mile stretch of the Malaysian-Thai border and forensics teams were exhuming the suspected graves to search for bodies.
The finding follows a similar discovery earlier this month by police in Thailand who unearthed dozens of bodies from shallow graves on the Thai side of the border.
The grim discoveries are shedding new light on the hidden network of jungle camps run by traffickers, who held people captive for years while extorting ransoms from their families.
“It is a very sad scene,” Mr Abu Bakar said. “We have discovered 139 of what we believe to be graves.” He described them mostly as mounds of earth, covered by leaves and marked by sticks and said forensics teams had gone in to exhume any remains.
“We accept that there are syndicates involved in this and their main aim is for monetary gains,” he said. “We will investigate and we will not condone anyone, including Malaysian officials.”
The finding follows a similar discovery earlier this month by police in Thailand who unearthed dozens of bodies from shallow graves on the Thai side of the border.
Source : Bt
