Twenty-six bodies exhumed at a mass grave near a suspected human trafficking camp in southern Thailand do not bear signs of violent death, police said yesterday, following initial forensic examinations at the site.
Dozens of police and rescue volunteers had trekked into the mountains on Saturday to a jungle camp in Songkhla province that authorities have linked to human trafficking and dug up 21 bodies.
Five bodies were retrieved on Friday from the camp, which is a few hundred metres from Thailand's border with Malaysia, bringing the total to 26.
"From initial forensic investigation at the site there are no marks on the bones or breakages that would suggest a violent death," Police Colonel Triwit Sriprapa, deputy commander of Songkhla Provincial Police, said.
"It is likely that they died from disease and malnutrition."
Authorities discovered the camp on Friday, acting on a tip. Police and rescuers reached the mountain camp on foot, and found a clearing with 39 bamboo huts, two dozen sleeping quarters and some makeshift kitchens and toilets.
The discovery was a sharp reminder of the extent of human trafficking in the Southeast Asian country and comes as Thailand scrambles to improve its record in fighting the illegal trade.
Police could not immediately confirm if the captives were Rohingya Muslims.
Members of the religious minority have for decades suffered from state-sanctioned discrimination in Myanmar, which is predominantly Buddhist. Mob attacks in the last three years have left up to 280 people dead, sparking one of the biggest exoduses of boat people since the Vietnam war. More than 100,000 men, women and children have boarded ships in the Bay of Bengal since June 2012, said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, which has monitored the boat movements more than a decade.
That number includes both Rohingya from Myanmar and a growing number of Bangladeshis. Their first stop is almost always Thailand. Lewa believes there are about 800 people still in jungle camps in Thailand. However, there has been a change of tactics recently, one that appears to be putting those who are being held at even greater risk.
Instead of jungle camps, Rohingya and Bangladeshis have in recent months been taken to large ships while they wait for ransoms to be paid, said Lewa, who estimates that 7,000 to 8,000 migrants are currently parked off the coast or in nearby international waters.
Police are focusing their investigation on a human trafficking network that is linked to the camp, said Police Colonel Anuchon Chamat, deputy commander of Nakorn Si Thammarat Provincial Police.
"It is an ongoing investigation, but we have reason to believe that one suspect arrested in Nakorn Si Thammarat and his associates was directly linked to this camp," Anuchon said.
Three survivors were found near the camp, including two aged 14 and 17. Police do not expect to find further bodies at the site, Triwit said.
"A witness said 30-40 people were brought to the camp at a time. The camp could have held up to 200 people," Triwit said.
Human Rights Watch called for an independent investigation with UN involvement to determine what happened at the site.
The Thai government said on Saturday it was determined to rid the country of human trafficking.
Reuters, Associated Press
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/bodies-from-mass-grave-in-thailand-jungle-camp-didnt-die-violently/
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