They didn't know of Thai death camps

Encouraged by friends or acquaintances, they were about to embark on the same illegal sea voyage to Malaysia -- a trip that sent thousands to their deaths in recent years.

In fact, Nurul Islam, 27, a carpenter of Mymensingh, had no choice; he had made a failed attempt to migrate "legally" three years ago albeit unaware of the proper procedure.

His friend Yasin and he had given about Tk 1.5 lakh and their passports to co-villager Rup Mia, an expatriate in Malaysia, to get visas. But Rup failed and returned their money several months ago.

However, Yasin did not give up; he found an alternative. He went to Malaysia illegally with the help of brokers about four months ago, Nurul said.

“If you don't take the illegal path, you'll never make it to Malaysia,” he quoted Yasin as saying to him by phone recently.

Yasin also sent him the phone number of one Jahid of Chittagong. "I contacted him and came to Chittagong city on Thursday," Nurul said.

“From the station, I was taken to Natun Bridge area and boarded an engine-run boat waiting under the bridge.”

Six other fortune seekers were with him, and all seven were rescued by the Coast Guard from that place in the afternoon.

This correspondent caught up with the victims at Patenga Police Station yesterday, from where they are supposed to be freed today.

Five boatmen whom police suspect were implicit with human trafficking are in detention and face a case.

Another victim, Mohammad Shaheen, 25, a mason of Jessore, met one Biplob at a tea stall in the capital's Shyampur about a month back.

“Biplob told me he took many to Malaysia by sea and allured me with the promise of an attractive job in Malaysia; so I agreed,” he said.

Salesman Dana Mia, a father of three in Narsingdi, could not make his ends meet with the meagre income and had long been trying to migrate.

His friend Jahid, who went to Malaysia recently spending Tk 1.5 lakh, called him up 20-25 days ago and asked him to follow suit.

"He gave me the phone number of Jahid of Chittagong," said Dana, who came to Chittagong with his friend Rokon Mia of Narsingdi to make that voyage.

Quoting the boatmen, Dana said they were supposed to board a ship at mid-sea and then sail with around 350 others for Malaysia.

Tamij Uddin, 40, a farmworker of Bogra, said, "I wanted to take the opportunity because it was only 1.5 lakh taka." Like many co-villagers, he had attempted to migrate earlier.

The stories of Junayed, 20, a textile mill worker from Mymensingh, and Sharif Miah, 18, a former restaurant worker of Narsingdi, are similar.

But all of them were unanimous in one thing -- they would never make the bid if aware of the recently busted death and slave camps in Thai jungles bordering Malaysia.