Arakan News Agency
A senior Thai army officer wanted in connection with the trafficking of Rohingya migrants has turned himself in to police after failing to do so on Tuesday.…
Lt. Gen. Manas Kongpaen surrendered shortly before noon Wednesday, marking the first arrest of a military official since the investigation started last month.
He faces multiple charges, including human trafficking, detention and ransom. He was questioned by authorities for about 10 minutes before being taken to Songkhla, where his arrest warrant was issued.
Manas had earlier proclaimed his innocence, promising to defend himself in court.
“I’d like to ask society not to judge me as though I’m already guilty. They should weigh information from both sides and wait until the court judgement,” he said in an interview with Thai media.
“I beg for justice and I’m willing to cooperate with authorities. No matter what the court ruling is, I will respect it.”
More than 50 people, including several local politicians and officials, were arrested after the discovery of dozens of bodies believed to be those of Burma’s Rohingya migrants at the abandoned trafficking camps near the Thai-Malaysian border last month.
More than 100 graves have since been found nearby on the Malaysian side of the border.
Source : asiancorrespondent.
