WANG KELIAN: FIVE THAI MEN JAILED FIVE YEARS FOR HARBOURING SMUGGLED MIGRANTS

KANGAR, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The High Court here today sentenced five Thai men to five years’ imprisonment each after they pleaded guilty to charges of harbouring Myanmar migrants who were being smuggled into the country.

Judge Datuk Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas meted out the sentence on Suchat Tohdin, 38; Arun Kaeofainok, 31; Jehpa Lapi-E, 58; Somphon A-Dam, 53; and Amree Nesalaeh, 60.

The court ordered Suchat to serve his prison term from the date of his arrest on Feb 24, 2022, while Arun, Jehpa, Somphon and Amree were ordered to begin serving their sentences from June 22, 2023. 

According to the alternative charge, Arun, Jehpa, Somphon and Suchat were jointly accused of protecting a Myanmar migrant, Mohd Belal, knowing that he was a smuggled migrant, at Bukit Wang Burma, Wang Kelian, Kaki Bukit in the Padang Besar district, between August 2014 and March 10, 2015, at about 5.30 am.

Meanwhile, Amree was charged with protecting another Myanmar migrant, Zedul Islam, at the same location between February and April 2013.

Judge Datuk Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas, in delivering his judgment, said the court viewed the case seriously as it involved the Wang Kelian incident.

“The incident in Wang Kelian shocked the nation and the world at the time and had a significant impact on the country,” he said.

However, the judge said the court had also taken into consideration the guilty pleas of the five accused, which demonstrated their acceptance of responsibility and remorse, in deciding on the sentence.

In May 2015, the country was shocked by the discovery of 139 graves and camps linked to human trafficking activities in Wang Kelian, which triggered widespread reaction both domestically and internationally.

All five accused were charged under Section 26H of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum imprisonment of 10 years, a fine, or both upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Christopher Enteri Mawan pressed for a heavy sentence, submitting that the offence was serious and had far-reaching implications for public interest, national security and border control.

Meanwhile, counsel Fatin Hayati Abdul Rahman of Messrs Bahar & Co, representing Suchat, appealed to the court to consider imposing a minimum prison sentence on her client.

Lawyer V. Rajadevan, who represented the other four Thai men, also appealed for a minimum sentence, citing their guilty pleas, which had saved the court and the prosecution time and costs.

-- BERNAMA