Many were believed to be from impoverished migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority.
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Malaysian police said yesterday that they have found 24 more bodies of suspected human trafficking victims in jungles bordering Thailand.
The individuals are often held for ransom in squalid conditions and, according to some witness accounts, are subjected to torture and starvation.
The discovery occurred in the same area where in May police found 139 graves scattered around 28 transit camps abandoned by a human trafficking syndicate.
National Security Council chairman Shahidan Kassim confirmed the discovery, telling the website that it had recently rained heavily in the area, “the downpour sweeping away the soil and revealing the remains”.
Perlis Police chief SAC Shafie Ismail told Malaysian state news agency Bernama they believed the graves were older than those found in May.
They have been sent for post-mortems at a local hospital.
This triggered a regional humanitarian crisis that saw them land in Malaysia and Indonesia after being rescued by fishermen.
In July, however, Thai prosecutors announced 72 people had been indicted for human trafficking after an operation led to the unravelling of vast networks of people smugglers.
Mass graves were also discovered on the Thai side of the border. A probe is on but details of their involvement could not be learnt yet.
“Some Thai officials are complicit in trafficking crimes, and corruption continues to undermine anti-trafficking efforts”, the State Department said.
The Star reported that the remains were discovered a few days ago.
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The CID is now investigating more than 200 human trafficking cases filed across the country, he added.
