Asia migrant crisis: New mass graves on Malaysia-Thai border

[PSPS]

Source: BBC

New mass graves with 24 bodies thought to be those of migrants have been found in Malaysia, police say.

The graves were found in the state of Perlis near the Thai border not far from 139 grave sites unearthed in May, Perlis police chief Shafie Ismail said.

Authorities believe they may belong to migrants held for ransom in jungle camps by gangs of human traffickers.



Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34033474

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On a related note: The Obama/GOP country-destroying Trans-Pacific Partnership apparently overrides any concerns about Malaysia's long history of human trafficking as they will give them a pass. After all, there are corporate profits to pursue.

Key Shift on Malaysia Before Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal

JULY 27, 2015

Human remains were retrieved on May 2 from a mass grave in Thailand's southern Songkhla Province near the border with Malaysia.

WASHINGTON — With the Obama administration pushing to conclude a vast Asian trade pact, the State Department on Monday upgraded its assessment of Malaysia’s efforts to combat human trafficking, a move that could ease the country’s inclusion in the trade deal.

Though the human trafficking report from the State Department is released annually, this year it carries added weight because of the administration’s desire to make final the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement spanning the Pacific Rim.

Congress recently granted President Obama fast-track powers to complete negotiations on the deal, but it included a caveat that prohibited him from doing so with countries listed in Tier 3 of the State Department report — that is, countries that are not making a significant effort to combat human trafficking.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/world/asia/thailands-low-ranking-in-human-trafficking-report-could-hamper-trade-deal.html