A reporter was led to a secret refugee camp deep in the Thai jungle, where an escapee said about 1,500 Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar are being hidden in terrible conditions. The former detainee said at least 16 people had died and many women had been raped by fellow detainees during his nightmarish two weeks in the camp.
He was among thousands of Rohingya boatpeople detained in Thailand before supposed repatriation to Myanmar. In reality, sources said, Thai immigration authorities have put them in secret jungle camps before selling them to human traffickers who ransom them to relatives.
Nearby villagers said they knew of four such camps being operated in Songkhla province. It is unclear whether they are being operated with the approval of the Thai government. Nor is it known how many people are being held in the camps.
The sources include two Rohingya men who said they had escaped from the camps, as well as people with connections to brokers, who pay Thai immigration officers at least 10,000 baht for each detainee. The brokers then try to sell them to their relatives in Malaysia for up to 60,000 baht. |