BANGKOK, OCT 18 (TNA) – A Thai court has sentenced two
former military officers to 27 years in jail in a landmark trial for their
roles in trafficking Rohingya people in 2015.
The two defendants were arrested following the discovery of
mass graves of ethnic Rohingya people at a jungle camp near Thai-Malaysia
border in early 2015 that led to global attention on the plight of Rohingya
people.
Ratchadapisek Criminal Court handed down the verdicts on
Thursday, giving 27-year imprisonment to former Colonel Nattasit Maksuwan and
former Commander Kampanart Sangthongjeen.
The court found both former state officials guilty of
colluding with international syndicate in trafficking 23 Rohingya people, aged
15-18, from Bangladesh and Myanmar between January 2011 and May 2015.
From the investigation, the two forced the victims who tried
to migrate to a third country into detention and labour. Each defendant was also ordered to pay
compensation to the victims in this lawsuit.
Nattasit said he would file a bail request and appeal the
sentence.(TNA)
