139 bodies likely buried in migrant graves: Malaysia
Authorities in Malaysia estimate that 139 bodies are buried in the graves recently found by its forensic teams, which are believed to contain the the remains of migrants from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim community.
Malaysia’s Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar confirmed on Thursday that each of the 139 grave sites contained the remains of one person.
“Based on the size of the graves, and after the area was cleared... we have a clearer indication, single grave, single person,” Jaafar said, adding, “The bodies were wrapped in white cloth. It is like the Muslim burial ... some are shallow graves, not all.”
Around 28 human trafficking camps and 139 grave sites were found by the Malaysian police over the weekend in the northern state of Perlis, which borders Thailand.
Malaysian authorities had previously expressed fears that each of the grave sites could contain multiple corpses of trafficked migrants.
Sources say the dead are believed to be Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, who either died of diseases or starved to death. Traffickers had abandoned the sick men when they were moving the Rohingya migrants across the border into Malaysia.
Meanwhile, police have launched a probe into the possibility that Malaysian officials, including some from the country’s Forestry Department, may have a hand in human smuggling.
Malaysian authorities say they are investigating at least a dozen police officers suspected of being linked to human trafficking.
Similar trafficking camps were found on the Thai side of the border earlier in the month. The graves were discovered at a remote site in the mountainous areas in Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla, which borders Malaysia.
Thai authorities had described the site as a virtual “prison camp,” where migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were held in makeshift bamboo cells.
Thousands of migrants, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis, have fled their countries on boat and have arrived in neighboring Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Many are in serious need of food and water.
Myanmar is under fire by the UN and human rights groups for failing to protect the Rohingya Muslims, who have suffered from torture and repression since the country’s independence in 1948.
JR/MKA/HMV
Islamophobia surged since Bondi mass shooting: Australian official
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, dies at 80
N. Korea, Russia bound in ‘blood of war’: Kim tells Putin in New Year note
VIDEO | Palestinians in West Bank fear more escalation as New Year arrives
VIDEO | Pakistani MPs pay tribute to Gen. Soleimani on his martyrdom anniversary
VIDEO | Artisans in India’s Rajasthan keep Indo-Persian legacy alive
Muslim states slam Israel for hindering aid to Gaza
NYC Mayor Mamdani vows to govern ‘audaciously’, revokes Israel-related orders
Haj Qassem and Haj Ramazan: A brotherly bond forged on the frontlines
Islamophobia surged since Bondi mass shooting: Australian official
Araghchi says Iran’s armed forces ready to respond, following Trump’s ‘reckless’ threat
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
