Thai police find graves at second migrant jungle camp

[webfact]

Thai police find graves at second migrant jungle camp
AFP

BANGKOK: -- Investigators in southern Thailand have discovered five graves at a second remote jungle camp believed to contain the remains of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, police said Tuesday.

The camp was uncovered just one kilometre from a similar encampment on a steep hillside close to the Malaysian border, where forensic teams found 26 bodies over the weekend, all but one buried in shallow graves.

"We found the second camp yesterday evening," national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters, saying the location was close to the first camp which lay 25 kilometres (16 miles) west of Padang Besar in Thailand's southern Songkhla province.

"We also found five graves but cannot yet confirm whether any bodies are in them. Authorities will look into this," he added.

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

Stung by that notorious reputation, Thailand's military government has launched a crackdown in recent months, arresting scores of officials.

But the grim discovery of bodies in various stages of decay has vividly illustrated the enormous dangers faced by desperate migrants trying to flee persecution or poverty.

Each year tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladesh make the dangerous sea crossing to southern Thailand, a well-worn trafficking route often on the way south to Malaysia and beyond.

Thailand's southern border region contains a network of secret camps where smuggled migrants are held, usually against their will, until relatives pay hefty ransoms.

But the recent crackdown -- which was sparked by the arrest of an alleged major migrant kingpin known as "Anwar" -- has forced smugglers to switch tactics, emptying camps but leaving the weak behind to fend for themselves.

Two adults suffering from malnutrition and scabies were discovered at the first camp and were sent to a local hospital. A fresh corpse was also out in the open.

During a visit to the region on Saturday AFP also came across two teenage migrant boys who had been apprehended by police.

They said they had fled the first camp when the authorities raided it on Friday for another one nearby, adding to suspicions that camps were still operating in the region.

The exodus of Rohingya -- described by the UN as one of the world's most persecuted minorities -- has followed deadly communal unrest in western Myanmar's Rakhine state since 2012.

Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh have also been kidnapped and trafficked to Thailand, after being duped with fake job offers or even drugged.


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

[exona]

Option 2 in play.

[Toknarok]

This can of worms just gets bigger and bigger.

[AGareth2]

scores of arrests?

[dcutman]

I wonder how far the govt is willing to go to do the right thing? There are reports of numerous other camps, around 60 I believe, as well as a report of there being roughly 9000 people aboard prison boats anchored just outside Thai territorial waters.

Probably dont want open this can of worms up to much. The "inactive post" space has got to be overflowing by now.

[halloween]

Is a grave a grave if you don't know if there is a body in it?

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Is a grave a grave if you don't know if there is a body in it?

An empty grave sounds about right.

[Suffinator]

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

Yeah and what a coincidence that they are now finding even more graves ... and yet the authorities maintain they didn't know what was going on. Yeah and I believe in the tooth fairy.

Stung by that notorious reputation, Thailand's military government has launched a crackdown in recent months, arresting scores of officials.

There's a new crackdown every other day but none are ever convicted and imprisoned ... wonder why that is?

Well I think the Thai Gov can kiss the idea of it being downgraded from T3. It certainly won't help their case with the EU neither. You can bury the truth for decades but eventually the truth will out and when it does the effects are generally devastating. All we need now is for sanctions to be imposed and maybe once the money dries up they'll start changing their ways.

[halloween]

Is a grave a grave if you don't know if there is a body in it?

An empty grave sounds about right.

Ummm.......no. They don't know if it's empty either, and quite likely it isn't. I'd go with suspected.

[Trentham]

"We found the second camp yesterday evening," national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters, saying the location was close to the first camp which lay 25 kilometres (16 miles) west of Padang Besar in Thailand's southern Songkhla province."

25 Kms west of Pedang Besar is in Satun, not Songkhla. What is going on???

[halloween]

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

Yeah and what a coincidence that they are now finding even more graves ... and yet the authorities maintain they didn't know what was going on. Yeah and I believe in the tooth fairy.

Stung by that notorious reputation, Thailand's military government has launched a crackdown in recent months, arresting scores of officials.

There's a new crackdown every other day but none are ever convicted and imprisoned ... wonder why that is?

Well I think the Thai Gov can kiss the idea of it being downgraded from T3. It certainly won't help their case with the EU neither. You can bury the truth for decades but eventually the truth will out and when it does the effects are generally devastating. All we need now is for sanctions to be imposed and maybe once the money dries up they'll start changing their ways.

Some local authorities have been involved, that doesn't mean senior authorities were aware of the situation. Now they are, and apparently taking action. Certainly more than there has been under previous governments.

"There's a new crackdown every other day but none are ever convicted and imprisoned....."

Do you expect instant justice, on the spot executions perhaps? That's more Shinawatra style. Or would you then complain about lack of due process and infringement of human rights?

[balford]

This all makes me wonder at the Thai Navy's next move against the Phuket news team who relayed the report about its involvement in trafficking...

But, it does make scriptwriters' jobs so much easier - they don't have to make it up.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

[FireMedic]

Stung by that notorious reputation, Thailand's military government has launched a crackdown in recent months, arresting scores of officials

What officials have arrested? What have they been charged with? What is the current progress on their cases? How many years can they be sentenced to?

Literally the worst limp wristed journalism I've ever seen.

[phuket43]

Wonder how the Thai Navy indictment of the two Phuketwan journalists are coming along?

[AlQaholic]

This has been going on for many many years of course, and nobody has really cared about it and let the traffickers happily go about their business as usual until Thailand's "FACE" gets scrutinized by the international community. It is not surprising that the Camp are found empty after the traffickers have been given early warning that they will unfortunately have to be raided, sorry about that, you will just have to find some other way to conduct your trafficking...maybe set up floating camps on international water....But not just on Thai soil mind you.

Lemmesee.....

1. Human Trafficking

2. Airline safety

3. Illegal, Unregulated fishing

The world is closing in on Thailand and they just cant run business as before if they want to join AEC and be respected by the west, only way to continue as before is to go full throttle back to Burma style Dictatorship....

Edited May 5, 2015 by AlQaholic

[godden]

Not looking good for Thai PR

[Oziex1]

OK for the next step, locate and shut down active camps, save the people being brutalised and murdered arrest the perps and squeeze them until they squeal take action on the information gained from the interrogations.

Another discovery of an empty camp with graves of the dead is close to worthless.

[Gandtee]

Is a grave a grave if you don't know if there is a body in it?

An empty grave sounds about right.

'The authorities are looking into it'

[ggt]

desperate migrants trying to flee persecution or poverty.

One can only imagine the horrors these people have faced in their own countries before fleeing to Thailand...sad ending to a sad life...

Everyone deserves a chance to live in peace and harmony with the world...

[trainman34014]

Farang no unerstan Thailan. Yankees tell us to stop trafficking so now we stop and tell everlyone where trafficking is done. Why Farang not happy now ?

[T_Dog]

I wonder if all this would have progressed this far without the Associated Press stories?

[joshstiles]

"we found the 2nd camp yesterday...."

what crap

they've known about it for years

and its been a revenue generator as well

[Oziex1]

The world of TIP

https://www.cia.gov/Library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2196.html

[boomerangutang]

I'm in northernmost Thailand. I met an attractive gal here, I think she was Rohinga. She had a son (which she didn't want) and a little sister (12) who she dressed as a boy, because boys are less likely to get sexually assaulted than girls. With her mom and a young couple, they made a group of 6 altogether.

They lived in decrepit hovels, abandoned houses. Each week, a different miserable place. I helped what little bit I could, with appliances, clothes, some work.

Twice my lady friend tried going to Malaysia to work. After the 1st time, she and I split as lovers. After the 2nd time, I saw her and she only said to me, "the border crossing was horrible" while rolling her eyes. I've lost touch with her. Every day was struggle for survival for that group.

[boomerangutang]

This story was in the international headlines of US's NPR 3 days ago.

[Local Drunk]

Like I have said on a few posts... It's a drop in the bucket.

[Local Drunk]

I think I want to puke... If you can't get it done general... Then there are those of us who could. It wouldn't be polite. I've got a great idea. Let's judge the traffickers with the same amount of sympathy that they have shown their victims.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Local Drunk

[Lite Beer]

Second detention camp found at Khao Mai Kaew

BANGKOK: -- Police have discovered another temporary detention camp on Khao Mai Kaew mountain in Songkhla’s Sadao district as another suspect in human trafficking ring turned himself in to the police.

Police spokesman Pol Lt-Gen Prawut Thavornsiri told a press conference Tuesday that the second temporary detention camp of the Rohingya people was found at a spot in Khao Mai Kaew mountain about one kilometer from the main camp found a week earlier.

The second camp was made up of four sleeping quarters, two kitchens and two toilets. Five small graves were found but no dead bodies were exhumed and the digging was ordered suspended as rescue workers from the Mitraparb Samakkhi Foundation pulled out of the camp.

Yalee Khlem, headman of Village 8 of Tambon Padang Besar, turned himself in Tuesday to face charges of illegal detention and human trafficking. He was the fifth suspect currently held in police custody.

Three other wanted suspects are still at large. They are Prasit Lemleh, vice mayor of Tambon Padang Besar, Pakkapol Benlate and Charoen Thongdaeng.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/second-detention-camp-found-at-khao-mai-kaew

-- Thai PBS 2015-05-05

[arrowsdawdle]

Is a grave a grave if you don't know if there is a body in it?

Just like Thai electricity, Thai graves are different.

[arrowsdawdle]

Like I have said on a few posts... It's a drop in the bucket.

And a drop is all that will be seen, no doubt due to those running that camp not paying adequate bar fines up the chain of command. At the end of the day, watch the blame shift to Malaysian insurgents since no Thai would ever do such a thing.