Thai, Malaysian authorities to meet over trafficking

Thailand and Malaysian police are expected to meet Friday to discuss human trafficking issues plaguing both nations.

The move will see authorities from both sides going all out in clampdown on the trade following recent discovery of trafficking camps, reports Malaysian daily The Star.

Provincial Police Region 9 Deputy Commissioner Puthichart Ekachant said the meeting with their Malaysian counterparts would likely be held in Haadyai in southern Thailand but did not give further details.

At a press conference organised by Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner-General Aek Angsananont, he said another four suspects had been arrested, making it a total of 15 people.

“Forty-nine arrest warrants were issued and 15 were arrested. The other 34 are being hunted,” he said.

It is understood that nine of the 15 people arrested were government servants, including Padang Besar mayor Bannajong Pongphol, police officers and politicians.

Aek said police were expanding operation to cover more districts in Songkhla province to track down human traffickers. “We believe a big group of them is hiding in Satun province.”

He has already said that the suspects, possibly including Malaysians, were part of the trafficking ring.

Since May 1, Thai police had discovered four “slave camps” holding Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants where mass graves containing 32 bodies were found near the Malaysia-Thailand border.