Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the four were among 10 for whom Putrajaya had submitted extradition requests in January 2017.

“Four of the 10 have been tracked down and were brought to a Thai court to be extradited. These cases had gone through various levels of the Thai court system.

“On March 30, the Thai appellate court ordered the four to be detained and handed over to Malaysia,” he said in a statement.

Saifuddin added that the four were finally extradited to Malaysia today and will be charged at the Kangar sessions court tomorrow.

In May 2015, police discovered 139 graves in 28 temporary camps run by a human trafficking syndicate in the jungle near the Thai-Malaysian border in Wang Kelian.

Similar graves were also found near the border in Thailand.

The victims were said to have come from Myanmar and Bangladesh in search of jobs.

In 2019, a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) was held to examine the evidence linked to the transit camps and mass graves. A total of 48 witnesses were called to testify.

The RCI found that no Malaysians were involved in the matter, whether enforcement officers or regular folk. However, it said border patrols’ negligence had a part to play in the transit camps and mass graves.

Saifuddin thanked the Thai government and other parties involved for ensuring the extradition process went smoothly.

“The Malaysian government also hopes that this cooperation would continue in order to track down the remaining individuals and bring them to justice.”

He reiterated that the home ministry took cross-border crimes seriously, especially human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

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