Thailand faces pressure after mass grave discovery

Thailand is coming under renewed pressure over its role in international people smuggling after police unearthed a mass grave at a suspected human-trafficking camp on the border with Malaysia.

The military junta in Bangkok has responded by vowing a fresh crackdown on the trade, in the face of the threat of US sanctions if it fails to do so.

Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, the coup leader turned prime minister, has admitted that some Thai authorities are involved in people-trafficking networks in the Southeast Asian kingdom - a fact that critics say has been publicised for years.

"The finding of a mass grave at a trafficking camp sadly comes as little surprise," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The long involvement of Thai officials in trafficking means that an independent investigation with UN involvement is necessary to uncover the truth and hold those responsible to account."

Thai police say they have dug up 26 bodies at the jungle camp in Songkhla province and found three survivors nearby, at least two of whom were teenagers. The deceased showed no signs of violent injuries and probably died of disease or malnutrition, police told Reuters.

While there is so far no indication of the identities of the dead, many trafficked people in the region are Muslim Rohingya from western Myanmar and Bangladesh, who have in some cases faced persecution by Buddhist extremists.

The find is a blow for the junta and comes shortly before publication of an annual US government report on human-trafficking. Bangkok expressed "deep regret and disappointment" at Washington's decision to downgrade Thailand in last year's report to the third and lowest tier of countries deemed not to be combating people-smuggling.

While the US has so far announced no plans for sanctions that can result from tier-three status, this could change if Washington feels Thai authorities are not responding to the blacklisting.

There have been multiple reports of forced and slave labour in the Thai fishing industry, which was last month issued with a "yellow card" by the EU and warned it could face trade sanctions if it did not improve regulation.

The human-trafficking dispute could add to the strain on relations between Bangkok and western capitals, which have frayed because of US and European criticism of the military takeover in Thailand almost a year ago.

Some Thai supporters of the coup in this strategically located Southeast Asian regional hub and long-time western ally now favour forging closer ties with China, which has in the past year picked up a huge rail-building contract and sent senior officials on missions to Thailand.

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