Malaysian police rescue 136 human trafficking victims this year

Sep 30, 2011, 8:29 GMT

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police rescued 136 people believed to be victims of human trafficking in the first eight months of this year, a newspaper reported Friday.

The alleged victims, 71 men, 40 women and 25 children, were rescued following 53 raids from January to August, said Mahmood Adam, home ministry secretary general, according to the Star newspaper.

Myanmar nationals made up the highest number of victims at 41, followed by Pakistanis at 31, 27 Indonesians and 10 Indian nationals.

Among the alleged victims were also Malaysians, Philippines nationals, Thais, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Chinese nationals, he said.

Mahmood said police, immigration officers and labour department officials conducted the raids which also resulted in the arrests of 55 Malaysians, five Myanmar nationals, four Indonesians, two Chinese, one Thai and one Indian national for suspected trafficking.

A total of 41 per cent of the cases involved sexual exploitation, while the others involved forced labour, baby-for-sale syndicates and visa exploitation, the report said.

Malaysia is primarily a destination and transit point for human trafficking, and in recent years there have been accusations that the government is doing little to combat the crime and provide protection for victims.