A ROYAL Commission of Inquiry (RCI) will look into allegations in a report by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) that there may have been intentions to destroy evidence in the original investigation of people smuggling at Wang Kelian.

In 2015, authorities discovered mass graves and several transit camps in Wang Kelian, Perlis, linked to human trafficking. Nearly 150 graves and 130 skeletons were found, which led to the arrest of 44 foreigners.

Some of the victims were Rohingyas from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Yesterday, Suhakam and civil society group Fortify Rights released a report that suggested that survivors of these people smuggling rings deserved legal protection as survivors of human trafficking, and in the case of Rohingya, as refugees.

The report recommended action against enforcement personnel if there was proof that investigations were delayed to destroy evidence.

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today said an investigation by Suhakam would have credible “information and basis”, but urged the people to wait for the RCI to complete its deliberations.

“There are specific criteria they will use to determine if information is true and has a strong basis, and so on,” he said.

Suhakam commissioner Jerald Joseph said the RCI, formed on March 5, should consider institutional or legal reforms to address deficiencies that may have contributed to what happened in Wang Kelian.

The seven-member RCI is headed former chief justice Arifin Zakaria and will submit its findings to the King. – March 28, 2019.