Still no justice for human trafficking, says activist

In 2015, Malaysian police discovered transit camps and mass graves in the jungle near Wang Kelian, Perlis, close to the Thai border. (Bernama photo)

PETALING JAYA: There is a combination of societal and legislative issues that contribute to the persistent problem of human trafficking in Malaysia, activists said.

“No one has been held accountable for the Wang Kelian (Perlis) incident. And there is still no accountability today,” said Dr Joseph Paul, a workers’ and migrants’ rights advocate for Tenaganita.

He said there were fewer graves discovered in Thailand, but hundreds of people had been convicted, including a three-star general, and some had received harsh sentences.

“Yet no Malaysian has been held accountable. Only four foreigners have been extradited from Thailand,” he said at the launch of the book Mass Graves, Uncovering The Killing Fields Of Wang Kelian, by Arulldas Sinnappan, at Gerakbudaya today.

In the current context, Paul referred to recent comments by Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on deaths in custody.

“According to the minister, none of them died due to abuse or suicide,” he said, adding that, again, there is no accountability.

Meanwhile, lawyer Andrew Khoo said another problem was that Malaysians in general did not care enough about the issue of human trafficking.

“We tend to mind our own business and not worry about other people’s problems,” he said.

Khoo said human trafficking is still rampant in Malaysia as there is still a demand for cheap labour.

“People come because they know there is a gray economy and it is possible to survive, even if it is temporary,” he said.

He added that there were also legislative issues to be addressed, adding that the whistleblower law introduced in 2010 was “weak”.

“If you read it, the scary thing is that even if they gave you protection, they might decide one day to take that protection away.

“People will then say, ‘Why should I take this risk when the law doesn’t protect me?'” he said.

Khoo also highlighted the problems with official investigations, which often take place behind closed doors.

He spoke about the RCI’s investigation into the Wang Kelian incident.

“When we (the Bar) went there, we were told: ‘A lot of the evidence will be confidential, so you will have to leave the room,'” he said.

He said the Bar had withdrawn because it was simply not practical to participate.

“If you want things to be held accountable, the government has to remove that cloak of immunity,” he said.