"I Dug My Friends Grave," Says Escaped Transit Camp Victim

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa ALOR SETAR (Kedah, Malaysia), May 30 (Bernama) -- Digging his friend's grave was one of the unforgettable experiences for Rohingya Mohamad Toha Naziullah, who escaped the horrifying human trafficking transit camp over a year ago. He and several of his friends escaped from the camp's caretakers' cruel treatment, which had caused hundreds of deaths of his countrymen by beating them with sticks and iron rods. After undergoing two months' detention, Mohamad Toha, 23, ran away from the camp, which was located in a dense forest area of Wang Kelian, near here, at the Malaysia-Thailand border. "It was like yesterday that I bathed and buried my friend in the grave," he told Bernama when relating the ordeal of his friend, who was only known as Yunus, 23. Mohamad Toha was among thousands of Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar but only to fall into the hands of traffickers and extortionists, which in many cases saw them witnessing deaths and suffering from abuse and hunger. He said Yunus and him had shared the same cage and together they made a pledge to always take care of one another at the camp. One day, the caretakers pulled Yunus out and demanded RM8,000 (about US$ 2,222) payment for his freedom to Malaysia, said the grief stricken Mohamad Toha. "Yunus told the caretakers that he had mortgaged his land and house to pay RM5,500 (US$1,527)to an agent in Myanmar in order to come to the country and he had no money to pay them," he said. Yunus was severely beaten by five caretakers using sticks and iron rods before he was taken back into the cage, he said. Due to the beatings, Yunus could not move or eat, but just laid down with his eyes staring blankly and died four days later when he succumbed to the injuries besides Mohamad Toha. The caretakers asked him to bury Yunus according to Islamic rites and while washing his body he could see the bruises all over his dead friend's body. Mohamad Toha said he had buried seven detainees, who wore just short pants and they died due to the caretakers' assault or disease. Another victim, Jahedul Islam Abu Tahir, 25, said he had buried seven male detainees in a grave during his detention at another human trafficking transit camp in Padang Besar, Thailand. He said the seven men was beaten to death by the camp caretakers who had received orders from the three agents. The agents, known as 'Cikgu (teacher) Anwar' 'Ustaz Anwar' and 'Mohadullah', were Rohingyas and were the ones, who earlier had promised to bring the seven men to Malaysia, he said. Jahedul Islam, who was detained for two months about a year ago, escaped with others from the camp several days after the incident. -- BERNAMA