BANGKOK, June 23 (TNA) – Four Thai nationals on Thursday were extradited to Malaysia where they will face a trial related to human smuggling and the discovery of the mass graves of Rohingya migrants at the border of the two countries in 2015.
Deputy National Polcie Chief Pol Gen Surachet Hakparn said Malaysian authorities had sought cooperation from the Thai counterpart to track down nine suspects believed to be linked to a human smuggling syndicate with arrest warrants of the Perlis Court.
The Thai police arrested four suspects, who were extradited on Thursday. Two others were dead and three others are serving their sentences in Thai prison. The trio will be extradited after they complete their prison sentences.
In May 2012, the police and soldiers found 30 bodies at a suspected human trafficking camp site deep in the forest in Songkhla’s Sadao district and 180 bodies were discovered in the dense forest in Malaysia’s Perlis State.
According to the investigation by the Thai police, the bodies were Rohingya migrants hiding in the forest, used as a stop-off point before they would be sent to the third country. The arrests were made and legal actions were taken against soldiers, police officers and local politicians involving in the syndicate.
Malaysian authorities issued arrest warrants, the red notice for the suspects and requested the Thai police to arrest them in Thailand. (TNA)
