Malaysia Mass Burial Site may Contain Rohingya Migrants from Myanmar

Live Mint (India)

24 May 2015

Kuala Lumpur/Hong Kong: Malaysian police are investigating a mass grave discovered in the northern state of Perlis that local media say includes the bodies of Rohingya migrants from Myanmar.

Police inspector-general Khalid Abu Bakar and home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed in separate text messages on Sunday that a grave site had been found. They gave no more details. Police plan a briefing on Monday, Khalid said.

The Star Online reported earlier that police and forensic teams arrived on Friday in Padang Besar, a town bordering Thailand, where a grave was believed to contain the bodies of almost 100 Rohingya migrants. The report cited an unidentified person.

… The mass grave represents “a lapse in both the Malaysian and Thai security nets, which both countries should join hands to enhance,” said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Its discovery should help motivate the countries to mount joint patrols and increase humanitarian efforts, he said.

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