The discovery of mass graves in Padang Besar, Perlis believed to be of refugees is a shock to us, exposing how easy it is for illegal immigrants and refugees to enter our common border with Thailand.
We need to have a second look at our border surveillance, especially in finding the culprits who 'open up' our territory to them.
I believe Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is taking up the matter seriously and will call meetings with respective authorities to solve the problems.
KAJANG, May 24 (Bernama) -- The Home Ministry Sunday confirmed the discovery of mass graves near 17 tents believed to have been used to accommodate refugees in Padang Besar, Perlis.We need cooperation from all sectors of the community. However, sad to note that the Opposition and its NGOs didn't care much about national security matters by criticising the government over the manner in which we attended to the woes of refugees and illegal immigrants.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the General Operations Force (GOF) and the VAT 69 Commando unit had found 14 large tents and three other smaller tents located on the Malaysia-Thailand border.
Shocked by the discovery, he said the tents were believed to have been operational for at least five years and they were said to have been abandoned when the authorities came to the location.
"Today, the inspector-general of police (IGP) and his deputy are at the Malaysia-Thailand border for identification and confirmation. The graves were identified as those for the refugees in the human trafficking trade.
"Probably, one grave has maybe three, four bodies or maybe only one. So we are counting at the moment.
"The PGA and VAT 69 are still investigating it and searching the areas. With the cooperation of Thailand, we will find more and more (bodies)," he told reporters after officiating the Home Ministry Family Day at the Maktab Penjara Malaysia, in Kajang.
Ahmad Zahid said the IGP and his deputy would announce the details on the matter in the near future.
Malaysia is at the centre of international media coverage for the in flux of refugees from Myanmar and illegal immigrants from various countries. The condemned us for the kind of 'good treatment' given to them but declining to single our the third countries that promised to help address the matter.
We have one too many of them already, and we can't forever accept them on our land when the countries of origin did nothing.