SHAH ALAM, Dec 8 — Thirty-two Malaysians who fell victim to human trafficking and were stranded at the Myanmar-Thailand border are now safely in Thailand thanks to the Thai army.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said he was informed of the matter by Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah, adding that the 31 men and one woman received aid after the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok requested humanitarian assistance from Thai authorities.
“They have been taken to the No.2 Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot to be screened and prepared to be sent from Thailand to Malaysia. Embassy officers are heading to Mae Sot with two buses that will bring (the victims) straight to Danok and Bukit Kayu Hitam tomorrow.
“We are planning for 21 more Malaysians under the Myanmar government’s surveillance to be sent to Danok and to Malaysia tomorrow in the same operation,” Mohamad said in a statement today.
Previously, the media reported that 33 Malaysians, including 12 who escaped a scam syndicate in Sunda, Myanmar, have been stranded at the banks of River Moei near Mae Sot, Thailand, since last month.
They were reportedly driven out amid conflicts between armed groups in the area, and were forced to flee to the riverside without shelter, food, or medicine.
Their attempts to swim to Thailand were blocked by the Thai army, which fired warning shots and ordered the victims to return to the riverbank.
The Malaysian Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) reportedly sent an official letter to the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok to request immediate action to save the 12 victims who had officially appealed for aid.
