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Asia migrant crisis: Malaysia exhumes mass graves | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Malaysia has begun exhuming bodies suspected to be migrants buried in 139 grave sites close to the Thai border. | |
Authorities believe the migrants were held for ransom in jungle camps by gangs of human traffickers. | |
Thousands of migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar have left for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in recent weeks. | |
Thailand has offered a "floating naval base" to help migrants stranded at sea but said only those needing serious medical treatment will be taken ashore. | |
Meanwhile, authorities in Myanmar have charged 20 people with offences related to human trafficking. They were arrested from a vessel carrying 200 migrants from Bangladesh that was rescued last week. | |
'Shocking cruelty' | |
On Tuesday, Malaysian police teams began sifting through a series of camps found in the jungle near the country's border with Thailand. | |
Some migrants were apparently held in "human cages" made of wood and barbed wire at the camps, which officials believe were only abandoned recently. | |
Malaysian national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said there were signs that torture had been used, but he did not elaborate. "We were shocked by the cruelty," he told reporters. | |
The discovery of the camps in Malaysia followed the uncovering of similar graves on the Thai side of the border at the beginning of May. | |
After those graves were found, Thailand began cracking down on the routes used by traffickers to move Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar through its territory. | |
The migrants, who want to reach Malaysia, were instead being sent by sea, but thousands were left drifting as no country wanted to take them in. | The migrants, who want to reach Malaysia, were instead being sent by sea, but thousands were left drifting as no country wanted to take them in. |
The UN's refugee agency says about 3,000 people have now reached land, but estimates another 2,600 may still be out at sea. | The UN's refugee agency says about 3,000 people have now reached land, but estimates another 2,600 may still be out at sea. |
Last week, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to stop rejecting boats and to provide temporary shelter to the migrants. | |
But while Thailand said it would stop towing boats away from its territory, it said it would not take in migrants. | |
Facing international pressure to do more, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said this week that the country would establish a "floating naval base" to help migrants. | |
But this seems like an attempt to keep the boats at arms' length rather than a display of genuine desire to help the migrants, according to the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok. | |
A total of seven ships, two surveillance aircraft and two helicopters are involved in the Thai operation in the Andaman Sea - but only migrants with serious medical needs will be taken to land, where they will be considered illegal arrivals. | |
"If anyone is injured or sick, they can be treated at hospitals in Thailand but will face illegal entry charges - it is up to them to decide," he said. | "If anyone is injured or sick, they can be treated at hospitals in Thailand but will face illegal entry charges - it is up to them to decide," he said. |
Thailand has also agreed to allow US navy aircraft searching for migrants to operate from its bases after refusing a US request last week - but only if they do so under Thai military command. | |
Thailand is due to host a regional meeting on Friday to discuss the crisis. | |
Asia's migrant crisis | Asia's migrant crisis |
Why are so many Rohingya stranded at sea? | Why are so many Rohingya stranded at sea? |
The Indonesian villagers saving migrants | The Indonesian villagers saving migrants |
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