Ranong revealed as longtime hub for the trafficking of Rohingya

[webfact]

Ranong revealed as longtime hub for the trafficking of Rohingya
Shamim Ashraf
The Daily Star

RANONG: -- THE dense mangrove forest on both sides of the road through the Laem Son National Park leading to Bang Ben Bay is indeed intriguing.

With 15 islands having beaches, coral reefs, mangrove swamps, and a rainforest jungle, the national park in Ranong and Phang Nga not only attracts adventurous tourists but offers a perfect place for traffickers to hold smuggled people for years.

"That's the place where we intercepted a large boat carrying 295 Rohingya and Bangladeshis, including seven Rohingya traffickers, last November," said Santaya Kaewsri, the assistant district officer at Kapoe in Ranong, pointing his finger to the Andaman waters between two hills not far from a pier.

The mesmerising serenity of the layers of hills hides a dark secret that visitors do not see.

Santaya, who had earlier taken this correspondent to another location to see the seized boat, claimed most of the people-smuggling incidents took place in Phang Nga. But Ranong is no less infamous than Phang Nga, Songkhla and Satun for ransom businesses that became so lucrative in recent years it created a humanitarian crisis.

The pattern of Rohingya who fled persecution in their homeland by taking sea voyages in small boats was well noticed after the 2004 tsunami, a Thai official in Ranong said, who requested anonymity.

"Even though Thailand was not the migrants' final destination, the traffickers wanted to save money by transporting people to Thailand first on their way to Malaysia due to the cost of gas. They would later move them overland to Malaysia where the Rohingya wanted to seek jobs," Colonel Suthipong Zhongpakdi, the deputy commander of the Internal Security Operations Command in Ranong told this correspondent during a visit in the last week of May.

The 2012 riots in Myanmar’s Rakhine State turned the low-key smuggling into an exodus of homeless Rohingya Muslims, making the people smugglers hungrier for cash.

Indeed, the brisk money later led to the expansion of smuggling syndicates into Bangladesh, where there was already an active network of labour brokers, and the introduction of forced trafficking of people to extort ransoms, experts said.

According to local fishermen in Ranong, officials have had full knowledge of what has been going on for years.

"They usually came in the late hours in small groups. They were frequently seen during the past few years," an employee of Laem Son National Park, who did not want to be named, said through a translator.

Some traffickers asked the fishermen for directions on how to get to their destinations. Some fishermen played dumb and informed local police, he said.

"But the police did not show any interest to arrest them because it would add to the burden of the existing refugee crisis," he said.

Police would wait for the smuggled people to pass through the border into Malaysia so it was Malaysia's problem, the park official said.

The discovery of a mass grave in Songkhla on May 1 revealed to the world the extent of the inhumane treatment of smuggled boat people.

"Interviews with officials and others make it clear that these brutal networks, with the complicity of government officials in Burma, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia, profit from the desperation and misery of some of the world's most persecuted and neglected people," Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on May 27.

Thai authorities, under intense pressure to increase their efforts to stop trafficking, were forced to act and issued arrest warrants against 89 people, including officials. The crackdown also coincided with Malaysia beefing up security at its border.

After the discovery of mass graves and trafficking camps, the international media has written about the involvement of a range of people in the nefarious trade - which includes businessmen, law enforcers and politicians.

Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

As of Friday, 55 of those facing arrest warrants were in custody in Thailand.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Ranong-revealed-as-longtime-hub-for-the-traffickin-30262316.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-15

[Bluespunk]

"Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Dismissal on the cards?

[NongKhaiKid]

"Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Dismissal on the cards?

Doubt it and probably not necessary as some AA will result in brand new, well adjusted and responsible people who are totally fit for purpose. ?

[halloween]

"Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Dismissal on the cards?

Would you like to be dismissed on suspicion, or accusations without supporting evidence?

[Bluespunk]

"Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Dismissal on the cards?

Would you like to be dismissed on suspicion, or accusations without supporting evidence?

If there's enough to be sent for AA there's enough for dismissal.

[halloween]

"Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Dismissal on the cards?

Would you like to be dismissed on suspicion, or accusations without supporting evidence?

If there's enough to be sent for AA there's enough for dismissal.

If there's enough for dismissal, there's enough for dismissal. In the military, AA is more akin to staff training, and I have seen it applied for saying the right things with the wrong tone of voice. I was marked down for it for singing during a blanks only military exercise - And When I Die by B,S&T seemed appropriate at the time.

[Bluespunk]

"Talking about this, the deputy commander of Ranong’s Internal Security Operations Command said: "We know some officers are involved. The officials found guilty will definitely face punishment for their crimes … but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Dismissal on the cards?

Would you like to be dismissed on suspicion, or accusations without supporting evidence?

If there's enough to be sent for AA there's enough for dismissal.

If there's enough for dismissal, there's enough for dismissal. In the military, AA is more akin to staff training, and I have seen it applied for saying the right things with the wrong tone of voice. I was marked down for it for singing during a blanks only military exercise - And When I Die by B,S&T seemed appropriate at the time.

Sounds like a lot of not fun...

Still considering what the AA is about, human trafficking, I would still say dismissal would be appropriate.

[fred Kubasa]

All this time, all this people movement. all that money, right under Thai authority noses and no one saw

anything ? Time for " Reform" is over and heads of law enforcement and military should be fired. You could

repair a broken egg easier then these 2 useless groups !

[Oziex1]

I thought "lack of solid evidence" was a metaphor for can't/wont touch that suspect.

[philipines]

"… but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Man I sure would not want to be in THIS group. Anyone know what some techniques are used in typical AA classes? Waterboarding?

[Srikcir]

The military is looking for people to provide it with solid evidence that the military is involved in human trafficking.

Otherwise known as SUICIDE.

[Reigntax]

Isn't it the military camp attitudes that created the problem in the first place. Will this be like a refresher course with new tactics?

[jaidam]

"… but those who can not be charged for lack of solid evidence will be sent to military camps for an attitude adjustment."

Man I sure would not want to be in THIS group. Anyone know what some techniques are used in typical AA classes? Waterboarding?

where is your atm card? what is the pin code? ok great you successfully adjusted your attitude now get back to your old job.