abitmiffed

Malaysian involvement suspected in Thai smuggling ring: NGO

AFP

BANGKOK: -- A labour rights group said Thursday it has received reports of undocumented migrant workers going missing in Malaysia and called on authorities to investigate whether a deadly human-trafficking operation uncovered in neighbouring Thailand was reaching across the border.

The call by Malaysian NGO Tenaganita came as Thai authorities said six more bodies were found near a site along the two countries' borders where the remains of 26 migrants were found over the weekend in a mass grave.

Glorene Das, director of Tenaganita, said the group has over the past year received testimonies from illegal migrants and refugees about missing loved ones.

She said the testimonials indicated Malaysians were involved in human smuggling.

But she cautioned that Tenaganita had received no eyewitness accounts or proof to that effect, nor any firm information on whether Malaysia also is home to any camps where migrants are held against their will.

"When their family members are missing, or they have not written home, these people come to us to see if we can help them trace these family members," Das said.

"We know that its true that (Malaysians are involved in human smuggling)," she added, declining to give further information, citing the sensitivity of the situation and need to protect vulnerable refugees.

But Das called on Malaysia's government to "investigate who they are and to continue the investigations so that the people involved can be prosecuted."

The dead found in Thailand are believed to be migrants from Myanmar or Bangladesh, who for years have been smuggled in large numbers to Thailand, Malaysia and beyond.

On Monday, Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said there was "no evidence" of Malaysian involvement in the smuggling ring operating in Thailand.

But a day later, anti-trafficking group Freeland Foundation said an investigation conducted by police and NGOs in Thailand revealed traffickers were demanding around $3,000 per migrant from family members in ransom, or selling them on for $1,000 each to work on Malaysian plantations.

Rights groups have long accused Thai authorities of turning a blind eye to -- and even being complicit in -- people-smuggling.

Malaysia's economy is a magnet for migrants from Indonesia, Myanmar and Bangladesh, but reports abound of worker abuse and a lack of official protections.

Last September, a study by US-based fair-labour organisation Verite said nearly one-third of the 350,000 workers toiling in Malaysian electronics factories -- particularly foreign migrants -- were stuck in a spiral of indentured servitude akin to "modern slavery", unable to pay off excessive recruitment fees.

The government has denied the claim.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-05-08

For sure there are people involved from all sides or else I could not not go on.

And yes its not only Thai people in the middle of all this.

10 days.

As the ones running this horror, why not just arrest and question the regional army, navy, police and senior govt. officials and ask them?

They already know all there is to know about this.

Damn right they do...shouldn't take 10 days. Only a few phone calls will be needed.. But then again no one can lose face over this so 10 days to do a runner or kill them selves is good enough... Watch over the next month how many more apparent suicides there are. Oh don't forget the amount of upcoming transfers to active posts.

Shame on you Thailand. Shame on you

Would clean up Thailand loads if Phuket disappeared beneath the ocean..

When the big 1 comes (and it will soon enough) it will take out all the south of Thailand.

There is little difference between what is happening in Thailand with migrant labourers, and Nazi Germany concentration camps during World War 2.

Just another of Thailand's shames.

And it's just the tip of the iceberg I think...and yet more shame on the police and officials for taking back handers and letting it go on. Oh and the tourism industry.

The body was already decomposing, so the hotel didn't do the rooms everyday ?

A “no disturb” tag was hung on the doorknob

And a thanks for your wallet was hung on hisknob....

Sigh!!! Again?

Please tell me. I sometimes see the Word "Sigh" what does it mean ?

Its a feeling not a word...when you take a deep breath and blow the air out of your nose at the same time thinking aboit something bad that just happened and know nothing will change......sorry its about as good as i can do..

I always liked the idea of me, my wife and daughter going out on bicycles in the afternoon sunsets for a bit of fun and fresh air......but drive past the bike shops and just keep on going. Sod that for a game of soldiers these roads are horrific for everyone not just pedestrians...i will keep my 4x4 tank thank you very much and YES i'm a tea total.

R.I.P to those who thought an afternoon bike ride was a good idea.. and give that retarded bitch 80yrs in jail.

Omg 50k birds up the duff? Clearly no UBC over there....dang get a job.

Pick any one of your favorite musicians, and chances are 50/50 he/she was involved with illegal drugs. Now take half your favorite musicians and have them executed when just out of their teens. Bye bye to Ray Charles, U2, Kinks, Beatles, Muddy Waters, Janis Joplin, Doors, Rolling Stones, Led Zep, Thelonious Monk, Yardbirds, Police, Elton, Fleetwood Mac, Miles Davis, Tina Turner, Johnny Cash, The Who, Deep Purple, Eagles, ..... nearly all of them, plus tens of thousands of other great musicians would have been killed by Indonesian authorities before they (the musicians) put out their respective 2nd albums.

Really? U think Tina Turner was a drug mule? Lmao... hardly the same now is it?

The guide has been moved to an inactive post in the office with full pay....same <deleted> different day....Nexxxxxt

I dont know about you but i'm really really starting to hate those two words... clear and transparent....Thailand has been trying to tackle the illegal fishing problem.....erm no you bloody have not as your elders are making way too much pocket money. And incase you are too pig ignorant to look at your ocean you will see its been milked to death. Stupid greedy selfish morons.

I will wait for the movie in a yr or two then. Nice story though.

Omg what a horrible bastard. Chop his balls off put them in his own moth and stitch it up. As for the mother allowing it to go on in the 1st place has not earned the right to be called a mother. Fry the two of them. Horrible people.

Thailand is now the hub of wanna be base jumpers who clearly cant do it right...or so it would seem.

Lucky to survive, not so lucky the young lady killled by a longtail a few months ago on K.T. noisy, smelly and dangerous, get rid of them.

Get rid of them?? Really? Its been their way of life for generations...who the fk are you to tell someone else to give up their life and income just to keep YOU happy...its his home not yours. Its sad when this happens yes but i really dont think it was his intention to drive over the guy.

Ha ha ha ....until they all stick to the same bunch of bullshit as mr General spouts...

Would just be nice to hear it straight from the horses mouth and not the donkeys mouth for a change.

"Mr Siegl̕s Thai wife told police that he had fallen and died." - how would she know that? Did she see the incident? If so, why did it take "at least 1 hour" for her to call for emergency services?

Dear Sherlock/Maigret/Poirot

The article doesn't say that she waited 1hour to call the police.

It says "Mr Siegl was wearing only a pair of printed short and had been dead for at least 1 hour police said."

It doesn't say how much time she spent shaking him, trying to revive him, panicking, crying, panicking a bit more, crying a bit more, wondering how she was going to manage without him, panicking, crying a bit more. And then getting it together to call the police.

It doesn't say how long it took the police to arrive.

It doesn't say how much longer it took the police doctor to arrive.

It doesn't say at what time the police doctor made his estimate of time of death.

Or how long she stood over him waiting for him to stop breathing....dont think it dont happen.

Wow they let in terrorists but not the Thai PM? the guy must have really rubbed people up the wrong way.......poor puppet.

You can make it fresh in less than 10mins pm me i will give you a recipe.

Is it just me or everytime i see a pic of this guy i always think of that American spoof movie with those puppets...can i hell think of the name.

Team America World Police.

"I'm so ronrey"

Is it just me or everytime i see a pic of this guy i always think of that American spoof movie with those puppets...can i hell think of the name.

Muppet

Noooooooo the plastic action man thingamybobs.

How much do you estimate it costs to make a loaf? Say a bog standard white loaf. Not bothered about the electric costs just the ingredients. Rough cost is OK. I wouldn't mind a bread making machine but it might be better to let Yamazaki do the baking.

To make a 1 kilo loaf costs less than 40bht.. i sell loads of the stuff in my shop.

Thai's love it.

Is it just me or everytime i see a pic of this guy i always think of that American spoof movie with those puppets...can i hell think of the name.