Graves, cages litter camps of traffickers
Malaysian forensics experts begin grim task of exhuming bodies from jungle
Malaysian authorities say a cluster of abandoned jungle camps used by human traffickers contained 139 suspected graves as well as barbed-wire pens likely used to cage migrants, shedding more light on a regional trade that preyed on some of Southeast Asia’s most desperate people.
National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday that forensics experts were exhuming the suspected graves found at 28 vacated camps in the hilly jungle area on the border with Thailand where trafficking syndicates were known to operate.
“It is a very sad scene,” Khalid said at a police outpost in the town of Wang Kelian 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.”
At one forest camp, police found several parts of a decomposed body inside a wooden pen. The parts were placed into white bags and brought to Wang Kelian. District police chief Rizani Ismail said they would be examined by forensics experts.
Police said they would begin digging up other suspected graves — mounds of earth, covered with leaves and marked by sticks.
“We have discovered 139 of what we believe to be graves,” Khalid said. “We believe they are victims of human trafficking.”
The finding in the northern Malaysian state of Perlis follows a similar discovery this month by police in Thailand who unearthed dozens of bodies from shallow graves on the Thai side of the border.
Thai police Major General Puthichart Ekkachan said 36 bodies had been found in seven abandoned camps.
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. Most of those who have fallen victim to the trafficking networks are members of Burma’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim community or impoverished migrants from Bangladesh, part of a wave of people who have fled their people have landed ashore in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand since May 10, about half from Bangladesh and half Rohingya from Burma. million Rohingya in Burma. They have been driven from their homes in mob attacks in Rakhine state several times since 2012. were displaced and are now living in crowded camps. More than 100,000 others have fled by sea. homelands to reach countries such as Malaysia, where they hope to find work or live freely.
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, police pasted dozens of pictures taken at the camps, which ranged in size, with the largest capable of holding about 300 people and smaller ones just a few dozen. Some of the pictures showed large, crudely built pens made from wooden sticks and barbed wire that were believed to be used as cages.
“We think the migrants were imprisoned in these wooden pens,” Khalid said. “They were not allowed to move freely and traffickers kept watch at sentry posts.”
Other items left behind included a rifle pouch, used bullets and bullet casings, he said. 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 Malaysian authorities conducted from May 11-23, during which they combed the steep jungle area along 50km of the border with Thailand. Khalid said the investigation and forensics analysis could take weeks.