139 bodies found in graves: Malaysia

Risingbd Desk: Malaysia has said it believes 139 people are buried in graves at remote detention camps used by people smugglers on the Thai border which were discovered on the weekend.

Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said on Thursday that each grave site contained the remains of one person, not multiple bodies as previously feared.

"Based on the size of the graves, and after the area was cleared... we have a clearer indication, single grave, single person," AFP reported quoting Jaafar.

"The bodies were wrapped in white cloth. It is like the Muslim burial ... some are shallow graves, not all."

Northern Malaysia is on a route for smugglers bringing people to Southeast Asia by boat from Myanmar, most of them Rohingya Muslims who say they are fleeing persecution, and people from Bangladesh seeking work.  Smugglers have also used southern Thailand.

Around 28 human trafficking camps were found by the Malaysian police over the weekend, less than a month after Thai authorities made a similar discovery in their territory.

Malaysian authorities confirmed to Al Jazeera on Thursday that 12 police officials have been arrested over the course of the past year on suspicion of links to people-smuggling camps.

risingbd/May 28, 2015/Aminul