Human Trafficking Camps In Wang Kelian Run By Big Agent "Yassin"

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa ALOR SETAR (Kedah, Malaysia), May 28 (Bernama) -- The transit camps uncovered by the Malaysian authorities in the Wang Kelian area in northernmost state, Perlis are believed to have been used to hold human trafficking victims who had been "bought" by the main agent called "Yassin". This was revealed by Kedah Rohingya Society in Malaysia (RSM, a non profit organisation) deputy chairman, Yusof Ali to Bernama on Thursday, adding that Yassin was a Rohingya who was known to be one of the main agents of the human trafficking syndicate. He said although he was from Myanmar, Yassin, who is in his 30s, lived in southern Thailand, and the operations of the human trafficking syndicate he headed reached up to Malaysia. "Based on information received, he is the agent responsible for buying Rohingyas and Bangladeshis from a syndicate in southern Thailand at a fixed price and keeping them temporarily in transit camps in Wang Kelian before selling them to other parties. "Yassin is a big agent of the human trafficking syndicate and his name is known among many Rohingyas who are in Malaysia and were his victims," said Yusof, who has been living in Malaysia for 20 years. Yusof, who is from Maungdaw, a town close to the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, also disclosed that the transit camps in Wang Kelian had been operating for two to three years. His disclosure was supported by his friend, Mohammad Hussain Abu Hassan, who is also an active member of Kedah RSM which provides assistance to Rohingyas who are new arrivals from Myanmar. Three days ago, Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar announced the discovery of 139 graves and 28 transit camps which had been abandoned by the human trafficking syndicate in Wang Kelian, near the Malaysia-Thailand border. To date, the police forensics team had discovered three decomposed bodies from the graves in the transit camps. Yusof said what happened in the human trafficking activities was that the big agents like Yassin would buy the Rohingyas or Bangladeshis who had just arrived in southern Thailand. "Because he lives and operates in southern Thailand, Yassin has close ties with other syndicate leaders who are either Thai citizens or Myanmar nationals from the Rakhine community. Yusof said Yassin would then hold the people he had just bought in a specific location such as a transit camp in the jungle of Wang Kelian before distributing them to smaller agents for a fixed fee which would earn him multiple-fold profits. "The smaller agents or their people would transport these new arrivals to various parts of Malaysia," he said. He added that Wang Kelian's location surrounded by thick jungle, steep limestone hills close to the Thai border made it a favourite route of the human trafficking syndicates. Wang Kelian's border post is located opposite that of Wan Prakob, Satun and for the past few years, visitors could walk freely between the Malaysia-Thai border on weekends through the border posts without a passport. However, this freedom has now been stopped for security reason. Asked about the latest news on Yassin, Yusof said he was believed to have escaped by slipping back into Myanmar after his activities in southern Thailand were exposed by the authorities there. "I have been informed by my sources that Yassin escaped to Myanmar, not long after the Thai authorities exposed his involvement in the syndicate," he said. He added that Yassin now probably felt safer in Myanmar, his country of origin, than in Thailand where he was being hunted. --BERNAMA