KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar yesterday refused to comment on reports that the majority of Malaysian border authorities are corrupt, asking reporters instead to refer the matter to the Special Branch (SB).

English daily the New Straits Times ran an article saying a report by the SB indicated that 80% of Malaysian security and enforcement officers at the borders were “on the take”.

“Please ask the director of Special Branch. Call him and ask him,” Khalid said when asked about the matter.

The report was the result of 10 years of covert operations at the borders, and covers the police’s General Operations Force, Anti-Smuggling Unit, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Immigration Department.It also said some officers were on a permanent payroll from human trafficking syndicates.

Malaysia’s border security has come under scrutiny following the recent discovery of mass graves and human trafficking camps in Perlis, near the Thai border, which had reportedly existed for years.

Meanwhile, PKR’s Alor Star Member of Parliament Gooi Hsiao Leung said he would file an urgent motion in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday to discuss the report. He demanded that Ahmad Zahid answer the serious questions raised by the report.

Malaysia has been downgraded to Tier 3, the lowest ranking, by the United States in its annual Trafficking of Persons Report.    

Meanwhile, Bernama reports that work on digging up the 91 graves in the second phase of the operations in the Mata Ayer forest reserve in Lubuk Sireh, Perlis, which began yesterday, was expected to be completed by next Wednesday.

Khalid said eight vehicles carrying the forensic and security teams of the police force had entered the area to carry out the operations.

To date, 35 bags of skeletal remains have been unearthed from the discovery of 139 graves at 28 transit camps believed to have been abandoned by the human trafficking syndicate in the area from Kampung Wai, Kuala Perlis to Tangga 100 in Felcra Lubuk Sireh, Padang Besar near the Malaysia-Thai border since they were first detected on May 25.

On the masterminds behind the human trafficking syndicate in the Wang Kelian area, Khalid did not discount the possibility of locals assisting the Rohingya national known as “Yassin” who is suspected of being an agent of the syndicate. He also urged the public with information relating to the case to immediately make a report at the nearest police station so that action could be taken. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on June 5, 2015.