Human trafficking: Kampung Puyu, Satun believed to be main entry point

This village is located next to Kampung Syed Omar and Bukit Bintang in Perlis and separated by the dense forest at Gunung Perlis, which is also along the Malaysia-Thailand border.

The Muslim-majority village can only be accessed by sea, a one-and-a-half hour journey from Kuala Perlis, Malaysia and 30 minutes from the Tammalang jetty in Satun.

Bernama learnt that the village is believed to have been used as the first location to house victims of human trafficking syndicates right after boats carrying refugees reached the Andaman Sea shore on the Thai side.

The route starts from Kawthaung (Myanmar) to Ranong (Thailand)-Phuket-Phang Nga-Krabi-Trang to the final destination at Satun before the migrants are smuggled into Malaysia.

Many people are wondering how the Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi immigrants are able to enter Malaysia and where they were housed before being 'sold' in the black market.

The writers met a tour guide in Satun who only wanted to be known as Lan to find the answer. However, he asked us to pose as university students to avoid untoward incidents.

Lan, who agreed to take us to the hot spots for human trafficking boats to transit, said Kampung Puyu, although bordered by the dense forest, it was still considered as a strategic location because it has many small villages as well as rat trails to enter Malaysia.

"If you ask the locals here, there are many who know about this, but do not dare to speak up, because there are also local people who are involved in the syndicate," he said, adding that reporters who entered the village also needed to be careful when mentioning about the Rohingya.

Bernama had earlier reported, that the rat trail from Kampung Syed Omar used by illegal immigrants to cross into Malaysia from Thailand took about an hour's journey, and extra couple of hours via the route through the forest to the foothills of Kampung Puyu.

The same forest also connects Bukit Bintang, Wang Mu, Wang Kelian and Felda Mata Ayer Forest Reserve where several transit camps and graves believed to be victims of human trafficking syndicates were found on May 19.

Lan said evidence strongly indicated that Kampung Puyu became the entrance for the syndicates after an arrest warrant was issued against the village head, who is believed to be the right-hand man of Pajjuban Angchotipon, a syndicate's kingpin in Satun.

Thai media reported that Pajjuban who had fled his home to avoid arrest, however, surrendered a few days later in Bangkok after an arrest warrant was issued against him. Some village heads in Satun, including the Tanjung Pao, Chebilang and Pulau Jetuk village heads were also reported to be involved as the right-hand men to Pajjuban.

All of the villages are believed to be transit points for the syndicates either for food or to get a docking clearance at Kampung Puyu.

A Tanjung Pao village committee member, who did not want to be named, admitted that the area where he lived has became a transit point for ships carrying Rohingya refugees.

"They often have a short stopover, less than a day, usually when they stop here, there will be local people who work with them, bringing them food and petrol," said the local resident.

The man, in his early 60s, said Thailand was only a transit point for human trafficking syndicates before their victims were sent to Malaysia and Indonesia which were their top choice destinations.

However, he said several small islands in the Andaman Sea near Satun are also believed to be used as transit points. Tanjung Pao is located about 13 km from the Tammalang jetty that provides water taxi services to Kampung Puyu and about 17 km from the Satun town.

In the meantime, an elderly villager of Kampung Chebilang who only wanted to be known as Kuna admitted that he often saw two three-storey ships believed to be carrying victims of human trafficking docked in at a jetty at his village.

"We used to see such ships but they do not stop here any longer. I do not know about any such syndicates, until a few people in this village were detained. Many parties are involved. They are all working for a big boss (snakehead)," he said.

Kampung Chebilang is located about 13 km from Satun town and seven kilometres from Tanjung Pao. The Malay population in both villages speak Malay with a Kedah accent.

Local media reported on May 22 that Thai police were investigating a human-trafficking racket centred in Satun and have arrested 43 people and seized millions of dollars worth of assets linked to the alleged kingpin Pajjuban.

The police also paraded Pajjuban's cousin, Posia Angchotipon, the president of the Koh Lipe tourism -association, along with eight other men who surrendered or were arrested in Hat Yai.

Deputy Commissioner of Thailand's Provincial Police Region 8, Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, who is in charge of the complex investigation into human trafficking in southern Thailand was reported as saying that a lot of business people in Songkla province and Padang Besar in Satun province were involved in the human trafficking activities.

Paween said the activity was believed to have been happening there over the last four to five years. It was all very well organised as they have recruiters to source the migrants, have guards, ships' crew members and investors who provided the money, he said. Reports said that the price of each of the migrant differed depending on their physical condition.