Bangladeshi imprisoned 10yrs for trafficking in Malaysia

A Malaysian court today imprisoned a Bangladeshi national for 10 years, finding him guilty of trafficking three fellows through Andaman Sea of Songkhla province of Thailand between 2014 and 2015. 

Nurul Islam, 32, admitted to a court in Malaysian state Perlis that he had trafficked three Bangladeshis – Mohammad Nurbasa, Delwar and Joy – between October 2014 and April last year, reports Malaysian daily The Star.

Meanwhile, a Thai national Biau Wong Chumpo, 46, was charged with trafficking in Bangladeshi national Md Tofajir Hussain between October 2014 and May 2 last year.

The report, however, did not elaborate the incidents of the trafficking.

Contacted to Musharrat Jebin, first secretary (labour) at Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, told The Daily Star that they had no information in this regard yet. "We will verify the incident," she added.

Another official at the mission said some cases had been filed against traffickers consists of Bangladeshis, Myanmarese, Thai nationals and even Malaysians.

A total of 716 Bangladeshi migrants were among over 1,051 trafficking victims rescued from Langkawi island of Malaysia on May 11 last year. The traffickers had abandoned them in the island after holding them captive in a Thai jungle for weeks.

Of the Bangladeshis, 670 have already returned home till May this year and the rest 46 are still languishing in detention centre in Malaysia.

Besides, more than 3000 Bangladeshis have been rescued in Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar last year after the issue of human trafficking through the Bay of Bengal got international media's attention.