Civilized my ding dong balls, get real! MalaySia boleh! SG must also Boleh!
http://m.todayonline.com/world/asia/malaysia-finds-139-graves-suspected-trafficking-victims
Malaysia finds 139 graves of suspected trafficking victims
Migrants wait to be rescued on their boat off Indonesia. As regional governments have launched crackdowns recently, traffickers have abandoned boats at sea to avoid arrest. Photo: AP
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PUBLISHED: 4:16 AM, MAY 26, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia yesterday confirmed the discovery of 139 graves containing an undetermined number of bodies, as well as barbed-wire pens probably used to cage migrants in more than two dozen abandoned camps suspected of being used by human trafficking syndicates that preyed on some of South-east Asia’s most desperate people.
Most of the trafficking victims are members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim community or impoverished migrants from Bangladesh, part of a wave of people who have fled their homelands to reach countries such as Malaysia, where they hope to find work or live freely.
Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said forensics experts were exhuming the suspected graves at 28 vacated camps in the hilly jungle area on the border with Thailand where syndicates were known to operate.
“It is a very sad scene,” Mr Khalid told reporters at a police outpost several kilometres from the camps, one of which appeared large enough to hold about 300 people. “I am shocked. We never expected this kind of cruelty.”
Prime Minister Najib Razak, who held talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Japan yesterday, told reporters after the meeting that he has called for assistance in the migrant crisis from Japan and others in the international community.
“It is also an international problem, which requires an international solution. Therefore, anything Japan can do to help us alleviate this problem will certainly be very much welcome,” Mr Najib said.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Najib said he was deeply concerned about the graves found on Malaysian soil. “We will find those responsible,” he said via his Twitter account.
At one camp, police found “a highly decomposed body” that will be examined by forensics experts as teams began digging up areas believed to be graves — mounds of earth, covered with leaves and marked by sticks, Mr Khalid said. “We have discovered 139 of what we believe to be graves,” he said. “We believe they are victims of human trafficking.”
The finding follows a similar discovery earlier this month by Thai police who unearthed dozens of bodies on the Thai side of the border. The discoveries have exposed hidden networks of jungle camps run by human smugglers, who have for years held countless desperate people captive while extorting ransoms from their families.
As South-east Asian governments have launched crackdowns in recent weeks, traffickers have abandoned camps on land and boats at sea to avoid arrest.
Mr Khalid said at least two of the camps found in Malaysia appeared to have been abandoned within the past few weeks, based on the condition of items left behind such as vegetables, rice and almost-new cooking utensils. Scattered personal possessions included a pink teddy bear and white children’s sandals, he said, indicating the possible presence of children at the camp.
On three large whiteboards, the police pasted dozens of pictures taken at the camps, which varied in size, with the largest capable of holding about 300 people and smaller ones for only a few dozen. Some of the pictures showed large, crudely built pens made from wooden sticks and barbed wire, which were believed to be used as cages. “We think the migrants were imprisoned in these wooden pens,” Mr Khalid said. “They were not allowed to move freely and traffickers kept watch at sentry posts.”
Other items left behind were a rifle pouch, used bullets and bullet casings, he said. The police also found white muslin cloth, used by Muslims in Malaysia to wrap dead bodies, and a wooden stretcher believed to have carried bodies.
The findings were the result of an operation the Malaysian authorities conducted from May 11 to 23, during which they combed the steep jungle area along 50km of the border with Thailand. Due to the difficult terrain, Mr Khalid said the investigation and forensics analysis could take a few weeks.
Human-rights groups and activists said the area on the Thai-Malaysia border has been used for years to smuggle migrants and refugees, including Rohingya Muslims, a long-persecuted minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. In many cases, they pay human smugglers thousands of dollars for passage, but are instead held for weeks or months while traffickers extort more money from families back home.
Since May 10, more than 3,600 Rohingyas and Bangladeshi migrants have landed ashore in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Thousands more are believed to be trapped at sea in abandoned boats.
Malaysia and Indonesia announced last week that they would provide temporary shelter for up to one year for migrants found at sea. The United States has said it will settle some of them permanently.
The Rohingyas, numbering around 1.3 million in Myanmar, have been dubbed by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
Long denied basic rights, more than 140,000 were displaced and are now living under apartheid-like conditions in crowded camps. More than 100,000 others have fled by sea. AGENCIES
http://m.todayonline.com/world/asia/malaysia-finds-139-graves-suspected-trafficking-victims
Malaysia finds 139 graves of suspected trafficking victims
Migrants wait to be rescued on their boat off Indonesia. As regional governments have launched crackdowns recently, traffickers have abandoned boats at sea to avoid arrest. Photo: AP
View all 0 comments
PUBLISHED: 4:16 AM, MAY 26, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia yesterday confirmed the discovery of 139 graves containing an undetermined number of bodies, as well as barbed-wire pens probably used to cage migrants in more than two dozen abandoned camps suspected of being used by human trafficking syndicates that preyed on some of South-east Asia’s most desperate people.
Most of the trafficking victims are members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim community or impoverished migrants from Bangladesh, part of a wave of people who have fled their homelands to reach countries such as Malaysia, where they hope to find work or live freely.
Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said forensics experts were exhuming the suspected graves at 28 vacated camps in the hilly jungle area on the border with Thailand where syndicates were known to operate.
“It is a very sad scene,” Mr Khalid told reporters at a police outpost several kilometres from the camps, one of which appeared large enough to hold about 300 people. “I am shocked. We never expected this kind of cruelty.”
Prime Minister Najib Razak, who held talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Japan yesterday, told reporters after the meeting that he has called for assistance in the migrant crisis from Japan and others in the international community.
“It is also an international problem, which requires an international solution. Therefore, anything Japan can do to help us alleviate this problem will certainly be very much welcome,” Mr Najib said.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Najib said he was deeply concerned about the graves found on Malaysian soil. “We will find those responsible,” he said via his Twitter account.
At one camp, police found “a highly decomposed body” that will be examined by forensics experts as teams began digging up areas believed to be graves — mounds of earth, covered with leaves and marked by sticks, Mr Khalid said. “We have discovered 139 of what we believe to be graves,” he said. “We believe they are victims of human trafficking.”
The finding follows a similar discovery earlier this month by Thai police who unearthed dozens of bodies on the Thai side of the border. The discoveries have exposed hidden networks of jungle camps run by human smugglers, who have for years held countless desperate people captive while extorting ransoms from their families.
As South-east Asian governments have launched crackdowns in recent weeks, traffickers have abandoned camps on land and boats at sea to avoid arrest.
Mr Khalid said at least two of the camps found in Malaysia appeared to have been abandoned within the past few weeks, based on the condition of items left behind such as vegetables, rice and almost-new cooking utensils. Scattered personal possessions included a pink teddy bear and white children’s sandals, he said, indicating the possible presence of children at the camp.
On three large whiteboards, the police pasted dozens of pictures taken at the camps, which varied in size, with the largest capable of holding about 300 people and smaller ones for only a few dozen. Some of the pictures showed large, crudely built pens made from wooden sticks and barbed wire, which were believed to be used as cages. “We think the migrants were imprisoned in these wooden pens,” Mr Khalid said. “They were not allowed to move freely and traffickers kept watch at sentry posts.”
Other items left behind were a rifle pouch, used bullets and bullet casings, he said. The police also found white muslin cloth, used by Muslims in Malaysia to wrap dead bodies, and a wooden stretcher believed to have carried bodies.
The findings were the result of an operation the Malaysian authorities conducted from May 11 to 23, during which they combed the steep jungle area along 50km of the border with Thailand. Due to the difficult terrain, Mr Khalid said the investigation and forensics analysis could take a few weeks.
Human-rights groups and activists said the area on the Thai-Malaysia border has been used for years to smuggle migrants and refugees, including Rohingya Muslims, a long-persecuted minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar. In many cases, they pay human smugglers thousands of dollars for passage, but are instead held for weeks or months while traffickers extort more money from families back home.
Since May 10, more than 3,600 Rohingyas and Bangladeshi migrants have landed ashore in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Thousands more are believed to be trapped at sea in abandoned boats.
Malaysia and Indonesia announced last week that they would provide temporary shelter for up to one year for migrants found at sea. The United States has said it will settle some of them permanently.
The Rohingyas, numbering around 1.3 million in Myanmar, have been dubbed by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
Long denied basic rights, more than 140,000 were displaced and are now living under apartheid-like conditions in crowded camps. More than 100,000 others have fled by sea. AGENCIES
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