There were bruises and bandages but the injuries in my view were not the cause of the deaths,” Bernama quoted him as saying.RCI Deputy Chairman Norian Mai, a former police inspector-general, said the panel could recommend that authorities re-open investigations into the case.“However, this would depend on our findings and discussions with other panel members,” he said.In January 2015, Malaysian authorities found 139 mass graves and 28 abandoned camps scattered near the rocky hills along the Thai border at Bukit Wang Burma in Wang Kelian, but exhumed the bodies four months later.More than 100 skeletal remains, believed to be those of member of Myanmar’s stateless Rohingya minority, were found in the graves.

AP Malaysian forensic team members inspect remains found in an unmarked grave outside Wang Kelian, Malaysia, near the border with Thailand, May 26, 2015. The camps and graves were near the northern border with Thailand, where similar discoveries were made in 2015.The final witness, police Superintendent Woon Tan Seng testified on Tuesday that victims and witnesses had been reluctant to come forward, hindering the investigation, according to national news service Bernama. "At the time, we had only burnt canvas and food. Modified 27 Mar 2019, 9:16 am. They have been given six months to complete their investigation and file a report to be submitted to the king.During a press conference on Tuesday, Muhyiddin said the mass graves had attracted the world’s attention because of the countries involved.“Victims were Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh, while Malaysia and Thailand became the transit point,” he said.In late May 2015, Malaysian police disclosed that they had unearthed 106 corpses from 139 graves at abandoned human-smuggling camps near Wang Kelian.Officials arrested 12 police along with several foreign nationals soon after the discovery.In 2017, then-Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters that the police were released from custody because of a lack of evidence. Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (left) presents a Royal Commission of Inquiry appointment letter to former Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Thursday, 18 Apr 2019 The observation posts were left intact," he said.To a question by panel member Tan Seng Giaw on the reasons behind the destruction of the camp, ASP Joeking said illegal camps were normally destroyed to prevent others from occupying them.He said the Padang Besar OCPD at the time asked if they had found any graves when his men first raided the area on Jan 19. In 2015, mass graves of people believed to be Rohingyas who were victims of human traffickingwere discovered in jungles north Wang Kelian in an area called Wang Burma. No The deaths at the camps could have been caused by illness, he also said, noting the conditions in the jungle and lack of food.“Admittedly some witnesses said they were whipped. Published on Apr 18, 2019 The Wang Kelian mass graves were only discovered on the day the General Operation Force (GOF) carried out orders to … AP Malaysia’s new government has reopened an investigation into mass graves of Rohingya and Bangladeshi trafficking victims discovered in the jungle along the Thai border in 2015, because officials …

Four foreigners – two Myanmar nationals, a Bangladeshi and a Thai – were convicted on human trafficking charges and remain jailed.Also in May 2015, Thai officials announced that similar graves of trafficked Rohingya and Bangladeshis were found at an abandoned camp in the jungle on their side of the border. Reports stated that as many as 139 graves and 29 illegal detention camps were discovered during operations carried out by the Malaysia police. Since then, the Thai government tried 102 individuals linked to the graves and convicted 62, including a former three-star general.Muhyiddin said he was aware of public concern about the mass graves, pointing out the Pakatan Harapan coalition government was committed to finding out the truth through a transparent and fair investigation.“At the regional level, Malaysia is at the forefront of issues pertaining to tackling migrant-smuggling,” he said. [S. Mahfuz/BenarNews]