Army destroys Rohinya jungle camps to prevent human traffickers to reuse them



SADAO: -- The Fourth Army today ordered the destroying of all border jungle camps of Rohinya migrants in Sadao district of Songkhla to prevent human traffickers to reuse them in future.

The operation to destroy the camps was supervised by the Fourth Army Region commander Lt-Gen Prakarn Cholayut in Padang Besar border.

The effort is aimed at stemming human trafficking operations and showed to the international communities that Thailand is serious in tackling human trafficking.

Lt Gen Prakarn led a team made up of soldiers, police officer, local administrative and forestry officials and villagers from the Taloh and Khao Roob Chang villages in an operation to destroy the camps.

One of the camps destroy is the largest of the 21 camps discovered.

It was raided on May 12 and has the capacity to hold almost 1,000 people.

The action today represents a determined effort by Thailand to prevent and distance itself from the region’s human trafficking activities.

“Dismantling the facilities will send a clear message that this area can no longer be used for illegal human trafficking activities. After dismantling, the area will be cleared and cleaned and allowed to return to its original forested condition. Villagers will then be tasked to look after the area and Army Rangers and Border Patrol Police units will make regular patrols to make certain that such activities never again return,” the field army commander affirmed.

Lt Gen Prakarn also personally inspected the camps and the surrounding area and determined that the area sits within National Parks land and not only conveniently borders Satun province but was also close to the border with Malaysia.

Furthermore, the heavily forested and hilly terrain proved difficult to access and was ideal in preventing detection.

He accordingly ordered the Thep Satree Border Patrol Unit to carry out patrols in the area and asked that villagers cooperate in the effort by being the extra pair of eyes and ears for authorities.

He said that the concerted efforts by both the government and the Army have managed to produce positive results and cripple the activities of human trafficking syndicates.

Furthermore, he said the police have made tremendous progress and many suspects have been arrested.

What remains is the humanitarian effort to locate and rescue many Rohinya migrants believed to be still wandering the jungles, he said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/army-destroys-rohinya-jungle-camps-to-prevent-human-traffickers-to-reuse-them


-- Thai PBS 2015-05-15

Destroying these godforsaken Thai jungle death camps and mass graves achieves nothing and won't stop the human traffickers from quickly setting up another hidden jungle camp. Thai authorities did nothing to discover them before, and only through an alert Thai person reporting it while mushroom hunting did the Thai authorities become aware of it.

Smart thinking to destroy those camps. Get rid of any evidence that might provide more information to more perpetrators there. I seriously doubt those people would be stupid to go back and use those camps again. They seem to be a lot smarter than the police and army.

Destroying these godforsaken Thai jungle death camps and mass graves achieves nothing and won't stop the human traffickers from quickly setting up another hidden jungle camp. Thai authorities did nothing to discover them before, and only through an alert Thai person reporting it while mushroom hunting did the Thai authorities become aware of it.

Uh, is it not obvious that this is the Koh Tao crime scene cover-up all over again?

Yes Thailand the world sees your seriously stupid and involved in human trafficking. no tier 2 for you and I see a red card in the near future.

Yeah, destroy these hi-end camps, with all their built in infrastructure and stuff, so they can not be used anymore.

Because it is so damn difficult to put them up just around the corner!

...more like "destroy all evidence on who was running them"!

Great idea .... 555

Pretty sure they know how to build new ones

Actually they probably make the slave build there own refugee camps

More than 21 camps discovered??? So far that is. How many more to be discovered? How could this ever have happened - without some SERIOUS connivance from the authorities? Or is that the reason for the swift removal of structures? Are there INDEPENDENT observers allowed to participate in this clean up process? Any forensic team come along? Doubt it.

And how difficult would it be to rebuild them?

some must be heart broken that they have to tear down what they built themselves

Where were the Thai army when those camps were teaming with enslaved and slaughtered

humen being? a bit late now isn't it...

Destroy the camps? Not much there to destroy. They are not quite on par with the resorts built in National Parks.... Could put up camps like these in about one hour. But looks like they are doing something, and as pointed out, good way to get rid of evidence.Well played.

thai government listen. in the sky are these things called SATELLITES. SA-TEL-LITES. sort of like your iPhone camera you use for Facebook only up in the sky looking down. Understand? You can buy selfies of thailand from the air. then you look to see what is happening.

also did you know you can form a group of soldiers called a squad and can do something called a "patrol". but we will cover that later in the semester.

I think that they know all about satellites. That's why they're in such a hurry to dismantle the camps. All this publicity means that lots of people will be taking an interest in what has been happening beneath the jungle canopy. A big show of vengeful action, dismantling the camps in horror, can be presented as action, as well as disposing of evidence.

As for patrolling, no, just the usual bimble down the road in the pick up from time to time.

thai government listen. in the sky are these things called SATELLITES. SA-TEL-LITES. sort of like your iPhone camera you use for Facebook only up in the sky looking down. Understand? You can buy selfies of thailand from the air. then you look to see what is happening.

also did you know you can form a group of soldiers called a squad and can do something called a "patrol". but we will cover that later in the semester.

They think a squad of soldiers is called a government. Hard to change 70 years of practice!

put some drones in the air,use inferred to see through the jungle layer,that shound not be to hard