Thailand agrees to extradite human-trafficking suspects to Malaysia

“The Office of National Police and the Immigration Bureau are considering the legal procedures. If there are no complications, then the Thai government is ready to hand them over,” Prawit told reporters yesterday.

He also dismissed speculation that the extradition was being done as a part of a deal to apprehend suspects wanted for attacks in seven Thai provinces on August 11 and 12, saying the bomb attack cases had not been settled yet. 

The Star reported that Thailand’s decision to allow the extradition was conveyed by Prawit when he called on his Malaysian counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Monday. It is not known if the suspects would face trials first in Thai courts.

Malaysia sought the extradition of the 10 Thais when Ahmad Zahid visited Thailand early this month, a diplomatic source said. 

The request was being considered in accordance with legal procedures, the source said. 

Thailand last year exposed human trafficking syndicates after discovering mass graves in hidden camps in Songkhla province along the Malaysian border. A court issued arrest warrants for more than 60 suspects and 50 have been arrested and prosecuted. 

Thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshi people have made dangerous journeys down the Indian Ocean and Andaman coast to seek better lives in Southeast Asia. Most transit from Thailand to Malaysia. Ahmad Zahid said the international community had accused Malaysia of not taking action against those involved when mass graves of victims were discovered in the border town of Wang Kelian last year.

“The extradition will allow us to take the culprits to court. We don’t want the international community to have this notion that Malaysia not only condones but also participates in trafficking. We certainly don’t tolerate such heinous crimes against fellow human beings,” he said.

 

139 graves found last year

During an operation named Ops Wawasan Khas in May last year, Malaysian police found 139 graves near 28 transit camps abandoned by human-trafficking syndicates in the Wang Burma and Wang Perah hill areas.

Some of the 10 Thai suspects in the case have already been detained while others remain at large, Ahmad Zahid said, adding that they should be handed over to Malaysia soon once documentation and other processes were completed.

He said Malaysia and Thailand had also agreed to look into the issue of dual citizenship held by people residing in border towns, which causes security concerns for the Thai authorities.

“I have assured General Prawit that Malaysia will work closely with Thailand to resolve this. [Thai] authorities will identify these people and supply Malaysia with biometric thumbprints so we can crosscheck to determine who among them also has our citizenship,” Zahid said.

“Then we will act accordingly because both Malaysia and Thailand allow their people to hold only one citizenship,” he |said.

Ahmad Zahid said he and Prawit also discussed terrorist and extremist activities in both countries and that Malaysia wanted to share its de-radicalisation programme with Thailand.