Navy investigating case of fishing boats carrying Rohingya refugees
The Royal Thai Navy is investigating the case of fishing boats carrying Rohingya refugees, Navy chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai said on Wednesday.
His statement came after Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome urged the Navy to clarify the case.
Somprasong insisted that the Navy did not conceal any information, adding that it had implemented “prevention measures” to tackle the issue.
Spokesman Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatpalin said the Navy has to look into details of the case and is ready to clarify the issue if it is involved.
He said the Navy is still working on anti-human trafficking.
Pol Maj-General Paween Pongsirin, formerly the country’s lead investigator in human trafficking, told Al Jazeera on April 21 that Thai officials were involved in the 2015 Rohingya trafficking case in Songkhla.
The case led to several police and military officers being sentenced for corruption and trafficking after the bodies of more than 30 trafficked Rohingya were discovered in shallow graves on the southern border.
Paween said threats from influential people forced him to flee to Australia before he could catch more “big fish” in the case.