SONGKHLA, 13 July 2015 – The Deputy Commissioner-General of Royal Thai Police has joined the meeting on the prosecution process of the Rohingya trafficking case in Songkhla Province, while accusations are scheduled to be filed in August.
The Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner-General Pol Gen Aek Angsananont today joined an investigators meeting in Songkhla Province, to follow up on the Rohingya trafficking case at the Provincial Police Region 9 Forward Command Center at Hat Yai Police Station.
After the meeting he revealed that the investigation process is now pending consideration from the Office of the Court Ruling and the Department of Investigation. Once it has been approved the case will then be submitted to the Attorney-General within this month.
After the Attorney-General passes consideration, the Office of Provincial Public Prosecution of Nathawee will be required to draft the accusations for the 72 suspects to the Nathawee Provincial Court. Investigation charges and witness hearings are expected to commence from August, while the overall prosecution process may take some time.
On the 47 suspects that are yet to be arrested, the investigation team is now working to arrest all of the suspects, while 17 people in this group are considered as key suspects. An investigation team on the money laundering issue will also be established, while witnesses who have provided testimonies are now being protected and are currently residing outside of Thailand for safety reasons.
The Police Deputy Commissioner-General has further stated that there are still other cases related to human trafficking which will have to be expedited, and all suspects will have to be investigated to determine the degree of their involvement.
