By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysian police say they have recovered the remains of 106 suspected human trafficking victims from gravesites found along the country’s northern border with Thailand.
Shafie Ismail, Perlis state police chief, told reporters Tuesday that seven skeletal remains had been discovered Monday. The statement comes after he told Anadolu Agency Sunday that forensic teams had exhumed the bodies of 99 victims from 139 graves found last month.
“The exhumation work has been completed,” he said. “We have so far recovered 106 skeletal remains and some graves were found to be empty.”
The discovery brings exhumation operations to a temporary pause, as the bodies undergo an autopsy process. “We will continue to comb the area,” Ismail added.
Last month, the country’s police chief confirmed the discovery of 139 graves at 28 camps in the border town of Padang Besar.
Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar had said that security forces usually did not patrol the hilly border area, but began to focus there after Thai police found dozens of bodies belonging to Rohingya Muslim and Bangladeshi migrants.
