By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia vowed Monday to find the human trafficking syndicates believed to be behind the mass graves of suspected migrants in a border town near Thailand.
Prime Minister Najib Razak tweeted that Malaysian police will hold involved parties responsible for the gravesites in the northern state of Perlis that are thought to contain the remains of Muslim Rohingya and Bangladeshis who came to Malaysia in hope of employment.
"I am deeply concerned with graves found on Malaysian soil purportedly connected to people smuggling. We will find those responsible,” he said.
A source from the prime minister’s office who wished to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak with media told Anadolu Agency that Razak - currently on a three-day visit to Japan - was receiving updates from Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the police force on the ongoing investigation in Padang Besar town.
The source said Razak has instructed Hamidi to work with his Thai counterpart to resolve the issue, and that if their efforts fail, the prime ministers of both countries are expected to meet to discuss the matter.
On Sunday, Hamidi confirmed the discovery of a mass graves near 17 suspected human trafficking camps, after dozens of bodies were found on the Thai side of the border earlier this month.
Minister Zahid Hamidi had expressed his shock to reporters, saying the camps may have been in the area for five years.
“A grave maybe has three, four bodies. But we don’t know how many there are. We are probably going to find more bodies,” The Star Online quoted him as saying.
Hamaidi said Sunday that little doubt remained about the involvement of Malaysian nationals in trafficking in the area following the finding.
“Malaysia as a government is not involved. But Malaysians, yes! I recognize that as a fact,” he added.
Malaysia had previously denied allegations that some of its nationals were linked to a human trafficking syndicate behind the mass graves discovered in Thailand.
Earlier this month, the bodies of more than 30 migrants were discovered in southern Thailand, prompting a crackdown that led to smugglers fleeing and boatloads of the migrants then turning up on Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian shores, while many more remained at sea.
Last year, both Malaysia and Thailand were downgraded to Tier 3 status in the U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report for not complying with the "minimum standards" to deal with human trafficking.
