(May 27): Pakatan Rakyat is pressing Putrajaya to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe into the existence of mass graves and human-trafficking camps near the Malaysian-Thai border in Perlis.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said an independent investigation was needed to look into the issue following the discovery of either Rohingya or Bangladeshi victims of human trafficking in 139 graves.

Police also found 28 human-trafficking camps.

"This is a serious issue as it involved national security. How can our country be invaded by those who are involved in human trafficking?

"We urge the government and the Home Ministry to save the country's image by having an independent RCI," she said at the Parliament lobby today after the debate on the mass graves following an emergency motion submitted by Gooi Hsiao Leung (PKR-Alor Star).

During the debate, R. Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) had proposed that a RCI be set up but Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was non-committal.

"It is up to the government," he said.

At the Parliament lobby, Gooi said he was disappointed with the reply from Wan Junaidi, adding that it appeared the government was still in denial mode.

"There was no acknowledgement of the government's serious failure in securing our borders, thus allowing these camps to be set up," he said.

Dr Hatta Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) said the RCI should be set up immediately as the news have severely affected Malaysia's image.

"The whole world is looking at us now, how we are managing this issue," he said.

Zairil Khir Johari (DAP-Bukit Bendera) said a thorough investigation was needed, not only focused on the Malaysian-Thai border, but also the Malaysia-Kalimantan border in Borneo.

"We are worried human trafficking is still ongoing and without a full, thorough investigation, we would not get to the bottom of things.”

On Monday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said police have yet to ascertain the identities of some 100 bodies found in the mass graves and that the police forensic team was currently conducting tests to determine if the remains were Rohingya or Bangladeshi victims.

Yesterday, Zahid said local authorities may be complicit in causing the deaths of those found in the mass graves.

Earlier this month, his ministry denied reports claiming the existence of holding camps and mass graves of illegal Rohingya migrants on the Malaysian side of its border with Thailand.

Its secretary-general, Datuk Alwi Ibrahim, said investigations carried out by the police had found no such camps or graves in Malaysia.

After the discovery of "death camps" in southern Thailand, there have been news reports saying that there might be similar slave camps housing illegal immigrants on the Malaysian side of the border.

More than 1.3 million Rohingyas – viewed by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities – live in Myanmar's western Rakhine state. – The Malaysian Insider