Reuters, Rattaphum :
Thai authorities today questioned more than 100 migrants discovered in the country’s south to determine whether they were victims of human trafficking, as Thailand races to meet a deadline to uncover people smuggling camps within its borders.
33 bodies, believed to be migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, have been found in shallow graves over the past week in Songkhla province. Three suspected trafficking camps were also found.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced a 10-day deadline to crack down the illicit trade. On Friday, Prayuth called for a three-way meeting with neighbours Malaysia and Myanmar to try to resolve a regional human trafficking crisis following the discoveries.
The 117 migrants were found in Rattaphum district in Songkhla province, near the Malaysian border, said the province’s deputy governor. Most of the group were from Bangladesh.
“There are 117 people here, 26 of them are Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and the rest are from Bangladesh,” Ekarat Sisen, deputy governor of Songkhla Province, told Reuters.
Thai authorities today questioned more than 100 migrants discovered in the country’s south to determine whether they were victims of human trafficking, as Thailand races to meet a deadline to uncover people smuggling camps within its borders.
33 bodies, believed to be migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, have been found in shallow graves over the past week in Songkhla province. Three suspected trafficking camps were also found.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced a 10-day deadline to crack down the illicit trade. On Friday, Prayuth called for a three-way meeting with neighbours Malaysia and Myanmar to try to resolve a regional human trafficking crisis following the discoveries.
The 117 migrants were found in Rattaphum district in Songkhla province, near the Malaysian border, said the province’s deputy governor. Most of the group were from Bangladesh.
“There are 117 people here, 26 of them are Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and the rest are from Bangladesh,” Ekarat Sisen, deputy governor of Songkhla Province, told Reuters.
