TEMPO.CO, Bangko – Thai immigration officials have been secretly selling hundreds of Rohingya Muslims to human traffickers, who then transferred them to brutal jungle camps, a special report from Reuters stated.
As thousands of Rohingya flee Myanmar to escape religious persecution, a Reuters investigation in three countries uncovered a covert policy for removing Rohingya refugees from Thailand's immigration detention centers and deliver them to human traffickers waiting at sea.
The Rohingya are then transported across southern Thailand and held hostage in a series of camps hidden near the border with Malaysia until relatives pay thousands of dollars to release them.
Thousands of Rohingya have passed through this camp with where an unknown number of deaths have occured. Some were murdered by camp guards or died due to dehydration or diseases, survivors said in interviews.
The Thai authorities said that the movement of Rohingya through their country does not amount to human trafficking. But in interviews for Reuters story, the Thai Royal Police acknowledged, for the first time, that there is a covert policy called "option two" that relies upon established human-smuggling networks to rid Thailand of Rohingya detainees.
What ultimately happens to Rohingya who cannot buy their freedom remains unclear. A Thai-based smuggler said some are sold to shipping companies and farms as manual laborers for 5,000 to 50,000 baht each, or US$155 to $1,550.
Presented with the findings of this report, Thailand's second-highest-ranking policeman made some startling admissions. Thai officials might have profited from Rohingya smuggling in the past, said Police Maj. Gen. Chatchawal Suksomjit, Deputy Commissioner General of the Royal Thai Police. He also confirmed the existence of illegal camps in southern Thailand called "holding bays".
Until now, the Thai government has denied its official involvement in the smuggling or trafficking of Rohingya. However, Chatchawal said that Thai officials might have received money previously in exchange for Rohingya, but not anymore.
"In the past, and I stress in the past, there may have been cases of officials taking payments for handing over migrants to boats," he said. "I am not ruling it out, but I don't know of any specific cases recently."
REUTERS | TRIP B