Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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(May 26): Police escorted media personnel on a gruelling one hour journey into the jungle in Wang Kelian, Perlis today, where 28 human trafficking camps and 139 mass graves were found recently.

This morning, 42 local and international pressmen trekked up the Bukit Wang Burma, where Malaysian authorities showed them one of the camps.

Here, 37 suspected graves had been found.

Due to the close proximity to the Thai border, journalists and photographers were briefed on precautionary measures and told to keep within their assigned groups and mind the armed General Operations Force (PGA) personnel escorting them.

They were led into the jungle, more than an hour after a team of police forensics personnel left to investigate the sites.

A PGA officer escorting the media said it was believed that the illegal immigrants were made to go through similarly challenging route from the Thai side of the hill to enter Malaysian soil.

He also believed that the migrants could have been forced to hike barefooted.

About one hour of hiking, the media arrived at a small clearing surrounded by trees.

Items such as old clothes, food wrappers, old shoes, old wallets and a motorcycle battery were found among the broken tree branches and rocks.

It is believed that the items were left behind by those involved in human trafficking activities.

Another 300m to 500m away, the media spotted fallen trees, barbed wire and tarpaulin sheets, which were believed to have been left behind by human traffickers.

Further up, barbed wire was found nailed to a tree. More wire was left on the ground surrounding a small perimeter believed to be a small campsite.

Police said it was possible that the barbed wire was meant to keep the migrants within the perimeter.

There were also signs of sentry posts nearby and some bags that were half buried by leaves.

At 1.25pm, the media arrived at a large camp where the 37 suspected graves were found.

The camp, located at a valley not far from the Thai border, appeared dilapidated.

Authorities believed it could have accommodated some 300 people.

There were torn up blue tarpaulin sheets hanging among the fallen wooden structure.

Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that Malaysian authorities have discovered 28 camps from Tangga Seratus to Wang Kelian near the Thai border.

It is believed that the camps had been used to hold illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who were trying to seek asylum and enter the country. – The Malaysian Insider

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