The rows of graves were damp in the rain. The steel plates marking each grave were nameless, bearing just a series of numbers. It is uncertain whether the persons buried here will ever be identified.
The graves lie in an old cemetery abandoned half a century ago, by the side of the rubber plantation in Kampung Tulam of Pakokasena district in the Malaysian state of Kedah, bordering Thailand.
About three weeks ago, 106 bodies were buried in this old graveyard. These were bodies of Bangladeshi and Myanmar Rohingya victims who dream for migration in Malaysia. But later they were trafficked and died by torture but remain unidentified.
The village Kampung Tulam is 435 km from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. This correspondent arrived at these graves during a visit to the village with the help of Aruladas, Malaysia’s Daily Mail special correspondent for the northern region.
The first mass grave was discovered on 1 May deep in the forests of Thailand’s Songkhla province. Malaysian authorities denied the existence of any mass grave.
However, after a series of investigative reports by Aruladas, on 24 May the Malaysian authorities announced that many graves had been found who came for labour migration in Malaysia. Then 106 bodies were recovered in Wang Keliyan of the Perlis state bordering with Thailand.
In the absence of public hospitals in the area, the bodies were sent for autopsy to Sultania Bahia hospital in Kedah Kampung and then buried in the village.
The soil was still fresh on the graves by the rubber plantation. Strips of police tape marked “Police Line, Don’t Cross” crisscrossed the area. Steel plates on the graves bore numbers, no names. It is uncertain whether their names will ever be known.
There is a primary school near the cemetery. And at the end of graveyard is a prayer room. Iftar was being prepared there for about 35 local people. Aruladas introduced me as Bangladeshi journalist. One of the persons, a retired primary schoolteacher, told Prothom Alo, “It’s been 50 years since anyone was buried at this cemetery. It is now Waqf (donated to public) property. Three weeks ago, I heard many bodies had been recovered from the graves of the border and brought here to be buried. They are Muslims from Bangladesh and Myanmar, so the villagers had no objection. Many villagers attended the funeral rites, along with the police and officials of the religious affairs ministry.”
When asked why the burial took place here, the local people said that as there was no large area anywhere else nearby, the trees and plants were cleared away for the graves. Any unclaimed body would be buried here.
The cause of death of these ill-fated 106 persons has not been officially announced. However, Kedah chief minister Mukriz Tun Mahathir told a news conference that these people had died as a result of torture and starvation.
When asked what he had heard about the cause of these people’s death, an elderly man of the village, Bahram Jafar, told Prothom Alo, “We heard these people were tortured and many died of starvation. They faced extreme brutality. Those involved should be identified.”
Another man, Sheikh Mohammed Zahir, said, “Myanmar doesn’t even recognize Rohingyas as citizens of Myanmar. But the Bangladesh government should take initiative to identify those from Bangladesh.”
When asked what steps the Bangladesh government is taking in this regard, the labour counselor at the Bangladesh embassy in Malaysia, Sayedul Islam, said, “There is no way of knowing if any of those who are buried are Bangladeshis. However, DNA samples of the bodies have been kept at the hospitals. If any family makes any claims, they can have the DNA tested. “
How the graves were discovered journalism Aruladas said he first went to Wang Keliyan in March in search of mass graves but did not find anything. After the mass graves were discovered in Thailand, he was confirmed that there were similar graves and torture camps in Malaysia. The Thai police chief made such a claim at a press conference on 9 May, but Malaysia denied it. One day, two men told the journalist about a mass grave on a hill. With the help of two local persons, he searched again in Padangbasar, near the Thai border. He discovered several concentration camps. He published a series of reports in this regard, after which the Malaysian police and army launched an operation. On 24 May, Malaysia’s home minister also admitted the existence of concentration camps and mass graves.
Wang Keliyan is a remote Malaysian village, bordering Thailand. Aruldas points to the hills from where the dead were brought down. He says, “After being brought by sea to Thailand, the people were held in camps in these hills. Those who paid ransom were released and came down to Malaysia. Some managed to escape from the torture camps and cross over to Malaysia. “
Wang Keliyan is a small village in the hills, with a population less than 250. Mohammed Junaid and Adnan of this village say people fleeing from the camps often take refuge in the local mosque. Adnan told Prothom Alo, “We have been seeing this happening for the last two and a half years. The people had wounds on their bodies. We would give them medicine and food. Last Eid five Bangladeshis came here. “
Kampung Tulam is about 100 kilometers from the village of Wang Keliyan. If Aruldas did not report on the issue, perhaps these graves would never have been discovered. The families perhaps still do not know that their dear ones are buried here. The graves remain a symbol of slavery and cruel brutality of this 21st century.
