The string of chance events that led to Wang Kelian mass graves

The human trafficking campsite and mass graves uncovered in Wang Kelian, Perlis, on the Malaysia-Thailand border. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran journalist Arulldas Sinnappan, whose 2015 expose of the mass graves at Wang Kelian shocked the country, is no stranger to the horrors of human trafficking.

It was his investigation of the issue which led him to the campsite near the Thai border, although he attributes his discovery of the graves to a series of chance events.

When he began writing on human trafficking, he said the trail of suffering was impossible to ignore.

“There were 24 bodies dumped in Penang, in oil palm plantations, rivers and cemeteries. Twenty-four bodies,” he told FMT.

Veteran journalist Arulldas Sinnappan. (Facebook pic)

Arulldas said the victims were afforded as little dignity in death as they had in life – stripped of their clothes and wrapped in bedsheets or blankets, they were unceremoniously dumped without a funeral.

Concluding that this trail of death was the result of human trafficking, Arulldas headed north to the Malaysia-Thailand border where he knew trafficking syndicates would operate.

His search for information took him to villages where he would talk to residents, hoping to pick up information relevant to his investigation.

He also went to estates, factories and shops where he would interview Rohingya workers.

His first break happened in December 2014, when he stopped at a coffee shop in Jitra. There, he overheard a discussion at the next table of the human trafficking camp in Wang Kelian.

After making enquiries, he and his cameraman embarked on a series of forays into the hills, hoping to find the camp. Six times they went up, and six times they found nothing.

He thought he had reached a dead end in his investigation, until another chance occurrence.

While attending a press conference in Hat Yai the following year, he happened to come into contact with two Thai men who claimed to know the location of the Wang Kelian camp.

With their assistance, he headed to the hills once more, this time entering from the Thai side of the border which the men were familiar with.

It was then that the camp and its horrors were finally uncovered.

Arulldas has written extensively on the plight of migrants who make the difficult journey to Malaysia only to be held captive by traffickers in terrible conditions.

When asked if he had suffered any threats or repercussions for his expose on the Wang Kelian camp, Arulldas said no. Nonetheless, he remains on his guard, exercising caution even at home and keeping a careful eye out while in Thailand.

“I know it is a risky job, and it’s dangerous to write these kinds of stories.”

But as dangerous as it is, it is also important, he says, and he has no regrets. - FMT