Malaysia officials discover mass graves of migrants

(Vatican Radio) Malaysian police have discovered jungle camps, cages and shallow graves thought to be the work of human traffickers. The victims appear to have been ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar.

Malaysian police say they found wooden cages that could hold dozens of people, and they suspect bodies were dumped in shallow graves nearby.

Listen to the report by correspondent Alastair Wanklyn: 

The more than two dozen camps are in jungle near Malaysia's border with Thailand.

The victims are thought to be Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar who paid smugglers to take them to Malaysia, on foot. They either perished on the march or the gangs held them for ransom.

Malaysia's police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said he was shocked by the apparent cruelty.

"We are making all the arrangements now on how to bring out all the remains respectfully," he said.

In some cases, the camps appear to have been abandoned in the last two weeks. There are signs that infants were among the people held there.
 
The United Nations migrants' agency has said the findings confirm its belief that many Myanmar migrants are dying both at sea and on land. A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration was quoted saying probably hundreds are buried in the forests along the Thai-Malaysian border.