Digital border guards with an AI LIE DETECTOR will interrogate travellers over what is in their suitcase at EU borders in a bid to toughen security

• iBorderCtrl will quiz travellers at four crossings in Hungary, Latvia, and Greece
• It uses AI to scan your face while you answer questions about your travels
• The system is part of a six-month trial run by the Hungarian National Police 

A digital border guard will interrogate travellers at some European Union borders in an attempt to ramp up security at crossings. Dubbed iBorderCtrl, the agent features an AI lie detector that quizzes tourists on their trip, including the contents of their suitcase (Mailonline stock)

By Harry Pettit for Mailonline; Published: 1 November 2018

A digital border guard will interrogate travellers at some European Union borders in an attempt to ramp up security at crossings.

Dubbed iBorderCtrl, the agent features an AI lie detector that quizzes tourists on their trip, including the contents of their suitcase.

The system is part of a six-month trial run by the Hungarian National Police at four different border crossing points in Hungary, Latvia, and Greece.

Each crossing borders a country outside of the EU.

If successful, the technology could be rolled out to borders across the union's member states.

'We're employing existing and proven technologies - as well as novel ones - to empower border agents to increase the accuracy and efficiency of border checks,' project coordinator George Boultadakis of European Dynamics in Luxembourg.

'iBorderCtrl's system will collect data that will move beyond biometrics and on to biomarkers of deceit.'

The digital border guard will question people after they have passed through a checkpoint.

It works via your laptop or phone, using your device's camera to record your face when you give answers.

The system then uses AI software to scan the video for 38 'micro-gestures' which it scores to assess whether a traveller is lying.

Questions include, 'What's in your suitcase?' and 'If you open the suitcase and show me what is inside, will it confirm your answers were true?', New Scientist reports.

Those that pass the test will receive a QR code that they can scan to cross the border.

If a traveller doesn't pass the test, the AI will reportedly take a more serious tone, and hand the offender to a human border agent for further questioning.

During the upcoming pilot, iBorderCtrl will quiz real tourists, though it won't affect their ability to travel.

Travellers will be invited to take part in the trial after they have passed through one of the four test crossings.

An early version of the system was tested using 30 volunteers at a fake border crossing.

The system is part of a six-month trial run by the Hungarian National Police at four different border crossing points in Hungary, Latvia, and Greece. Each crossing borders a country outside of the EU (Mailonline stock)

Half were told to lie to the bot, while the other half told the truth. The AI guessed correctly with an accuracy rate of 76 per cent.

Experts said the AI's accuracy rate in the real world could be lower, as people who are told to lie present clearer facial tells than those who fib earnestly.

'If you ask people to lie, they will do it differently and show very different behavioural cues than if they truly lie, knowing that they may go to jail or face serious consequences if caught,' Maja Pantic, a Professor of Affective and Behavioral Computing at Imperial College London, told New Scientist.

'This is a known problem in psychology.' 

With more than 700 million people travel through the EU every year, according to the European Commission, the low hit rate raises concerns over the number of travellers who could get away with lying at the border.

iBorderCtrl team Keeley Crockett, a researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, said they are 'hopeful' they can bring the accuracy rate up to 85 per cent.

AI systems rely on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which try to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn.

ANNs can be trained to recognise patterns in information - including speech, text data, or visual images - and are the basis for a large number of the developments in AI over recent years.

Conventional AI uses the input to 'teach' an algorithm about a particular subject by feeding it massive amounts of information.

AI systems rely on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which try to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn. ANNs can be trained to recognise patterns in information - including speech, text data, or visual images (Mailonline)

Practical applications include Google's language translation services, Facebook's facial recognition software and Snapchat's image altering live filters.

The process of inputting this data can be extremely time consuming and is limited to one type of knowledge.

A new breed of ANNs called Adversarial Neural Networks pits the wits of two AI bots against each other, which allows them to learn from each other.

This approach is designed to speed up the process of learning, as well as refining the output created by AI systems.

- Further reading: An AI lie detector will interrogate travellers at some EU borders | New Scientist

- Mailonline
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6341801/AI-lie-detector-interrogate-travellers-EU-borders.html

Muslim insurgent group says it met with Thai government

Flag of Barisan Revolusi Nasional

Thailand national flag

Panu Wongcha-um, Reuters  |  Published: 17 Aug 2019

The main group fighting an insurgency in Thailand’s largely Muslim south said it had held its first meeting with officials from the new Thai government and had set out demands as a condition for any formal peace talks.

The insurgency in the Malay-speaking region of the predominantly Buddhist country has killed some 7,000 people over the past 15 years and has flared on and off for decades.

Officials of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) said they met a Thai delegation at a location in Southeast Asia on Friday and demanded the release of all people detained over suspected links to the insurgency and a transparent investigation into abuses by security forces.

That could be a step toward formal talks, the officials said, while emphasizing that it was very early in the process.

“If the official peace talks are a feast then these secret meetings are like bringing the cow into the kitchen, but the cow is not even slaughtered yet,” Pak Fakir, 70, a senior BRN member told Reuters in a rare interview.

“The Thai state is like an oiled, slippery eel,” he said.

General Udomchai Thamsarorat (photo below), the head of peace dialogue with southern insurgent groups for the Thai government, declined to comment on whether a meeting had taken place.

The BRN has not been informal talks with the government although contacts did take place at least twice with the former military junta of Prayuth Chan-O-Cha, who has remained as prime minister after an election earlier this year that his opponents said was flawed.

Ongoing war

The past contacts with the BRN never led to talks and it has continued a guerrilla war to demand independence for Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces, which were part of an independent Malay sultanate before the kingdom of Siam annexed them in 1909.

A number of less militarily active southern factions have been in talks with the government.

“The root cause of our problem is colonization, and this has never been touched upon in past talks,” Fakir said.

Although the BRN usually neither confirms nor denies responsibility for specific attacks, Fakir said that the group was not behind a series of small bombings that shook Bangkok on Aug 2.

The bombs wounded four people and embarrassed the government during a regional security summit. Two suspects from the south have been arrested in connection with the attacks.

“We will not attack beyond the three southernmost provinces because we do not want to be perceived as terrorists,” Fakir said. “We have our territory. Why should we venture out of it? ... Someone else must be behind it.”

Despite the arrest of the southerners, the government has also suggested that it could be its political opponents that were behind the attacks - although political parties have condemned it and no group has claimed responsibility.

Tension has been rising in the south over allegations that a southern man, 32-year-old Abdullah Isamusa, was beaten so badly during military interrogation last month that he fell into a coma. The army has said there is no proof of torture.

Mara Patani, an umbrella group representing some factions that unlike the BRN have been informal talks with the Thai military, has called for international intervention after the Abdullah case - a request rejected by Thailand’s army.

- Reuters

- Mkini

- https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/488365

Thailand: New Government Disregards Rights

Policy Statement Fails to Address Major Concerns

Prayuth Chan-O-Cha Courtesy: HRW file photo

(New York) – The new Thai government’s policy statement fails to provide a pathway for restoring respect for human rights after five years of military rule, Human Rights Watch said today. Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-O-Cha will present the policy statement for his second term in office on July 25-26, 2019.

“Prime Minister Prayuth’s second term is starting with the same blanket disregard for human rights that characterized his first term,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “His policy statement contains no language whatsoever addressing the serious problems under repressive military rule since the 2014 coup. Whatever hopes that the new government would bring about human rights reforms and advance democratic, civilian rule suffered a serious setback with the failure to include any commitments in the policy statement.”

Prayuth’s 40-page policy statement, which was submitted to the parliament speaker on July 19, does not discuss human rights issues in the country. It does not even discuss Prayuth’s own “national human rights agenda,” which he released in February 2018 with much fanfare.

Key civil and political rights problems that need to be addressed by the new government include:

 Impunity for Human Rights Violations

As chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta, Prayuth wielded power from 2014-2019 unhindered by administrative, legislative, or judicial oversight or accountability, including for human rights violations. While the NCPO disbanded after the new government took office, the constitution that took effect in 2017 protects junta members and anyone acting on the junta’s orders from being held accountable for human rights violations committed during military rule. And no redress is available for victims of those rights violations.

Restrictions on Freedom of Expression

The NCPO prosecuted hundreds of activists, journalists, politicians, and dissidents for peacefully expressing their views, on serious criminal charges such as sedition, computer-related crimes, and insulting the monarchy. During Prayuth’s first term, the junta frequently used these overbroad laws to arbitrarily punish and silence critics. Under the new government, the military retains the power to summon anyone deemed to have criticized the government or the monarchy, question them without the presence of a lawyer, and compel them to promise to end their criticism to gain release.

Protection of Human Rights Defenders

A climate of fear persists among rights activists and critics of the government. Even those who fled Thailand to escape political persecution are not safe. At least three Thai political activists have been forcibly disappeared in Laos. Two others have been killed. Another three Thai political activists returned by Vietnam to Thailand have also been missing.

Successive governments have disregarded Thailand’s obligation to ensure that all human rights defenders and organizations can carry out their work in a safe and enabling environment. Against the backdrop of a recent string of brutal attacks targeting prominent pro-democracy activists and dissidents, the government has yet to develop a credible policy to better protect them. Thai authorities have not seriously investigated these attacks, and instead repeatedly told activists and dissidents to give up political activity in exchange for state protection.

During his first term, Prayuth frequently stated that Thailand would act to end so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), which are used by government agencies and private companies to intimidate and silence those reporting human rights violations. However, these cases continue, frequently as criminal defamation cases. Prayuth’s policy statement makes no mention of Thailand’s much advertised commitment to promote business practices compatible with human rights standards.

The policy statement also does not address the urgent need to revamp the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. The United Nations Human Rights Council has downgraded the commission because of its substandard selection process for commissioners and its lack of political independence. Revisions to the law adopted during Prayuth’s first term further weakened the commission and transformed it into a de facto government mouthpiece.

Enforced Disappearance, Torture, Violence, and Abuses in Southern Border Provinces

Since January 2004, more than 90 percent of the 6,800 people killed in the ongoing armed conflict in Thailand’s southern border provinces have been civilians from both ethnic Malay Muslim and ethnic Thai Buddhist communities. Although the insurgents have committed egregious abuses, rights violations by Thai security forces have greatly exacerbated the situation.

Thai authorities regularly failed to conduct serious and credible inquiries into torture allegations and enforced disappearances. Military detention, which lacks effective safeguards against abuse, occurs regularly during government counterinsurgency operations in the southern border provinces. Successive Thai governments have failed to prosecute security personnel responsible for torture, unlawful killings, and other serious human rights violations against ethnic Malay Muslims. In many cases, Thai authorities provided financial compensation to the victims or their families in exchange for their agreement not to speak out or file criminal cases against officials. Despite these concerns, Prayuth’s policy statement does not address human rights problems in Thailand’s southern border provinces.

International Obligations

Prayuth’s policy statement only vaguely mentions the importance of Thailand meeting its international obligations. The junta did little to promote Thailand’s adherence to the core international human rights treaties. Although Thailand signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in 2012, it has yet to ratify the treaty and Thailand’s penal code does not recognize enforced disappearance. Thailand also does not have a law that criminalizes torture, as required by the Convention against Torture, which it ratified in 2007. The junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly suddenly suspended its consideration of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Bill on February 2017, and the government has not set a new time frame for reconsidering the bill. Prayuth’s policy statement does not include this law among legislation to be urgently introduced by the government.

“Thailand’s foreign friends should not let the recent elections become an excuse for ignoring the deteriorating human rights situation in the country,” Adams said. “There should be no rush to return to business as usual without securing serious commitments and corresponding action from the new government to respect human rights.”

- Human Rights Watch

- https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/24/thailand-new-government-disregards-rights

Indira claims Zakir Naik supporters helping ex-husband hide daughter

Alyaa Alhadjri  |  Published: 25 Jul 2019

A pensive and determined M. Indira Gandhi

M Indira Gandhi's (photo) struggle to be reunited with her estranged daughter Prasana Diksa continues with a rights group today claiming to receive information that her ex-husband was receiving assistance from three groups that included supporters of controversial preacher Zakir Naik.

Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat) spokesperson Arun Doraisamy said she had lodged a report at Petaling Jaya police station this morning with the hope that an investigation will be carried out to verify the information that they received through public tip-offs.

"The police report lodged today was based on the latest information we received last week," Arun told a press conference with Indira at Wisma Hindu Sangam in Petaling Jaya.

Aside from Zakir's supporters, Indira in her report also alleged involvement by PAS-friendly NGOs and southern Thailand separatists in helping to shelter her ex-husband Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, who is wanted by the police.

"From 2009 until now we know there were PAS-friendly groups. Before I say this today, I thought about it a few times but I have to say it out loud.

"And now the new information we received, there are groups of Zakir Naik's followers. This too I thought a few times on how to say it," said Arun.

He claimed the help given to Riduan, who is said to be jobless, included monetary assistance as well as logistics aid.

As for the southern Thailand separatist groups, Arun claimed Ingat was informed that they had assisted Muhammad Ridhuan in leaving Kelantan and past the border, despite not having a valid passport.

"People have sighted him. But it’s a small village so people are reluctant to give (confirm) their identity," said Arun, adding that Ingat and Indira had presented all information they received to former inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun during a meeting at Bukit Aman on April 19.

"We had a sighting. If previously we were worried whether the child (Prasana) was still alive or not, now we are pretty much confident that she is," he added.

Despite police's failure to locate Riduan and enforce a court order for him to return Prasana to Indira, Arun claimed the groups are supporting Reduan’s movement from Kelantan to Golok, together with a new wife and their children.

Indira in her police report also urged authorities to investigate the 27-year-old woman for allegedly abetting Riduan, who had abducted Prasana a decade ago as an 11-month-old child and has not been seen since.

Both Arun and Indira today insisted that the case had gone beyond the issue of forced conversion.

"If she wants to continue her life as a Muslim, that is her choice.

"It does not matter whether she is Muslim or not, she (Prasana) is still her (Indira)'s daughter," said an emotional Arun.

Indira also teared up as she insisted that her only wish is to be reunited with Prasana.

Riduan took Prasana away and unilaterally converted his three children to Islam in 2009.

A lengthy legal battle between Riduan and Indira then ensued, involving both the Syariah and Civil courts.

Indira’s two eldest children now live with her, but Prasana and her father’s whereabouts remain unknown.

In February, Fuzi said information had not been forthcoming from the public, despite various appeals for help made by the police.

In 2014, the High Court issued an arrest warrant for Riduan but the police have yet to locate him.

Last year, the Federal Court unanimously declared the children’s unilateral conversion to Islam to be unlawful.

- Mkini

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/485413#.XTmpDLoKaCo.email

Cops, rangers to conduct joint anti-poaching patrols

Bernama  |  Published: 6 Jul 2019, 10:09 pm

An endangered Malayan Tiger - Poachers are increasingly becoming more stubbornly belligerent as the demand increases for tiger body parts - Pic: Malaysiakini 

The Royal Malaysia Police have agreed to assist the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) rangers in carrying out patrols in the jungle.

Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A Xavier Jayakumar said the cooperation was necessary to combat poachers, particularly of the Malayan tiger, as well as to destroy the traps set up by irresponsible parties.

“I will make an announcement on the joint operation with the police in the near future while cooperation with the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) is still in negotiation as it involves technical issues,” he told reporters after opening the Save The Malayan Tiger Campaign in Taiping today.

According to Jayakumar, the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 does not allow forest rangers to carry firearms and this, more or less, limits their fight against poachers in areas bordering neighbouring countries.

“For example, poachers encroached into our country through the border of Thailand and Perak to hunt for our tigers. The Royal Belum Forest in Gerik is the largest forest reserve and many tigers live in the forest,” he said.

He said that between 2013 and last year, more than 1,000 snare operations were carried out nationwide that led to the destruction of more than 3,500 snares.

“During that period, 162 poachers were arrested for various offences involving protected wildlife species and 14 tigers were illegally hunted and captured in snares,” he said.

On today's programme, the minister said the collaboration made by Perhilitan and the Aeon Group was aimed at collecting funds for the Malayan tiger rescue programme.

“This will also enable more rangers to be deployed to the jungle to carry out patrols as well as to locate and destroy the snares set up by those poachers,” he said.

- BERNAMA

-Mkini

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/482720

Keyboard predators: SE Asia’s kids targeted by online paedophiles

In this file photo taken on May 23, 2018, children play as a fire engulfs a slum area in Manila. — AFP pic

Published on 17 May 2019

BANGKOK, May 17 — Southeast Asia is in the grip of a fresh surge of paedophile activity with predators orchestrating and watching abuse on live-streaming sites and via webcams, and paying for it with near-untraceable cryptocurrency, victims and children’s charities warn.

With widespread poverty, lax laws, and creaking judicial systems, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines have long been seen as soft spots by foreign and local paedophiles seeking out underage sex in person.

Tougher policing and greater awareness have deterred some offenders, but technology has shifted the patterns of abuse in a region with growing access to broadband internet and encrypted technology.

Paedophiles can now use an array of mobile and online tools — including social networks, video-sharing sites, and the dark web — to direct and watch child rape and sexual abuse with anonymity, experts warn.

“Predators watch the rapes on large platforms that are not likely to close,” said François Xavier Souchet, of Thai-based NGO Terre des Hommes.

“It’s live, nothing is recorded... everything is encrypted. They pay more and more in Bitcoins, encrypted money makes their transactions as secure as possible,” he added.

This week online giants including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook are giving evidence to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), which is being held in London and will look at how to prevent online sex crimes as part of its remit.

‘I want to die’

Demand for child sexual abuse via webcam is an increasing cause of human trafficking, according to a UN report, with suggestions Thailand has become a hub in the trade, as well as the Philippines.

Cassie, a Filipina victim, said she was just 12 when she was forced to commit sexual acts — both with an adult man and alone — in front of a webcam.

She moved to Manila to work as a maid but was exploited by her mother’s employer. The torment went on for five years.

She said “I felt trapped, betrayed and alone. I was thinking, ‘I want to die, I want to die because of this pain, but I can’t’.”

Her abuser received a two-year jail term in 2017.

Last month, advocacy and legal aid group International Justice Mission (IJM) warned Philippine children were at risk of being forced into live streamed sex abuse, where paedophiles pay to direct so-called “shows” online.

“Easy access to the web and money transfer services make the country a global hotspot for this problem,” said IJM, noting that it is often parents or family members that organise or even commit the abuse.

Terre des Hommes drew attention to the problem using a computer-generated girl nicknamed “Sweetie” that hung out in chatrooms and was approached by about 20,000 people — mostly men — in a matter of weeks.

Last year a report by the Internet Watch Foundation found online child abuse imagery had increased by a third in 2017.

Death penalty

In March, a teacher was arrested and charged in his native France with rape, abuse of minors and possession of child pornography.

The 51-year-old, who worked in schools in Asia, is alleged to have befriended kids in a working-class Bangkok neighbourhood before building a rapport on social networks, police sources told AFP.

The same month, prosecutors charged another Frenchman with ordering videos of rape and sexual assaults of Filipino children.

The suspect, a 55-year-old former police officer, was arrested after a seizure of computers and live-streaming equipment in the Philippines.

In late April, former British Army officer Andrew Whiddett, 70, was found guilty by a London court of spending thousands of pounds paying for live-streamed sexual abuse of children from the Philippines.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates 80,000 people in the UK present some kind of sexual threat to children online.

The cyber-abuse phenomenon is reaching “Cambodia and Vietnam”, warned Damian Kean, of the Thai-based NGO ECPAT, which specialises in combating the sexual exploitation of children.

In hyperconnected Vietnam, foreign paedophiles are increasingly targeting young victims online, often on social media.

The communist state last year instated harsher penalties to combat the crime — anyone guilty of molesting a child under 16 faces 12 years in prison, while child rape comes with a maximum sentence of death.

But catching a paedophile requires help from the communities within which they operate — communities which are often marginalised, poor and mistrustful.

Souchet of Terre des Hommes explained: “Particularly ethnic minority communities across the region do not trust local authorities.” 

— AFP

SUHAKAM Reports on the Enforced Disappearances of Pastor Koh and Amri Che Mat

Pastor Raymond Koh was "disappeared" in broad daylight in SS4, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan on 13 February 2017.

On 24 November 2016, Amri Che Mat was last seen by his wife.

Two others that are briefly mentioned in the reports are Joshua Hilmi (better known as Hilmi Bin Hanim) and his wife Ruth Hilmi, nobody has seen them or heard from them since November 2016. The actual reported date of disappearance was said to be 6 March 2017.

These four disappearances are not mere coincidences. This web report is not supposed to concoct up more conspiracy theories or other mere facts. Those of you that are interested can go to the SUHAKAM website appended below this paragraph and read the reports that have been recently concluded by the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat. 

Reports of the public inquiries on Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat

These reports of enforced disappearances do establish that these enforced disappearances are nothing to do with religion and race. These religious and pious people, who are Godly Christians and Muslims, have stumbled into something more sinister.

These four disappeared people could have provided refuge to those who ran away from trafficking camps in Wang Kelian, Perlis. Despite the reported trafficking camps were discovered months earlier by the Malaysian Police, it seemed that most of the those found in the mass graves may not be accounted for. Some of the illegally held refugees have managed to slip away.

If one follows the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Wang Kelian incident one can actually string the perception that those that were detained by the traffickers at the Wang Kelian makeshift illegal camps, and some of these refugees could have escaped earlier. These escaped refugees could have sought assistance from any of those four people. Amri, Joshua and Ruth are based in the Northern state of Perlis that run some sort of a private 'Yayasan' or Foundation for the less fortunate.

Christian and Muslim Foundations have always the determination to help the poor and the less fortunate. Christian Missionaries and Foundations have for decades assisted the Burmese minorities in the Northwest and Western Thailand after the United Nations have abandoned their will to help the ethnic Burmese refugees.

Likewise, when these escaped-refugees were perhaps found begging or sleeping in the streets in the Northern states of Malaysia, some kindhearted religious people could have pointed or brought these people to the attention of the Yayasan or individuals that have a good heart for offering refuge despite the troubles.

For Muslims, whether Sunni or 'Syiah' (Shia), the Koran construes this as a form of 'Jihad' to help another fellow Muslim. In Sūrah 4-Al Nisa verses 74-76, "Let those fight in the cause of God. Who sell the life of this world for the hereafter. To him who fighteth in the cause of God,-whether he is slain or gets victory-Soon shall We give him a reward of great (value). And why should ye not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?-Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from Thee one who will help!" Those who believe fight in the cause of God, and those who reject Faith fight in the cause of Evil: So fight ye against the friends of Satan: feeble indeed is the cunning of Satan."

For Christians, the Bible's Chapter on Deuteronomy, Ch.15:7, specifically calls all Christians to assist any poor, needy, or disadvantaged person, "if there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." And in Exodus Ch.23:6, it declares that Christians, "should not pervert justice or show impartiality to the poor (and the less fortunate) or favouritism to the great, but judge (all) your neighbour(s) fairly."

Hence, Amri Che Mat, Joshua and Ruth Helmi and Pastor Raymond Koh extended their aid and religious virtues to these helpless refugee victims. As God's disciples, they graciously extend their altruistic service.

The second thing that relishes a theoretical objective is the connection between the issue of trafficking of persons and the enforced disappearances is the fact that most of the disappearances happened in the Northern state of Perlis.

If the formula A+B = (B+A) C, then, most of the disappearances happened in and around the Northern state. The only disproportionate (wild) variable is Pastor Raymond Koh. He was abruptly taken in broad daylight in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. However, and bear in mind that Pastor Raymond Koh was previously somehow linked to a drug and arms smuggling syndicate. In that report, three suspects were arrested at Kota Bharu, Kuala Kangsar, and Kuantan and another suspect was shot dead in Baling, Kedah, a stone's throw away from the city of Betong in Thailand.

In that incident, the police chanced upon a house that was allegedly used for arms and drug smuggling. But what the police missed out is that the house could be the dwelling to house refugees on the run. Pastor Raymond Koh could have used the dwelling to house some runaways, as a place for protection from unwanting detections. Trafficking at the borders are not limited to just arms and drugs smuggling; trafficking of persons for labour and poached wildlife are common in these parts of Malaysia and Thailand. Recently, two Vietnamese poachers were arrested by authorities on 16 April 2019.

In February 2016, Bangladesh and Malaysia inked a formidable memorandum to bring in 1.5 million foreign workers. That's a big number. As a way to thwart suspicion on the number of Bangladeshis entering Malaysia, this memorandum could very well serve as a justifiable 'wool over the Rakyat's eyes' to cater to illegal workers entering Malaysia illegally. So if the lens is not sharp enough to catch what's happening on the ground, then that whole area is muddled.

Thirdly, many believers in social media and media wanted to believe that the actions of the disappearances have to do with religion and race. Well, it's easy for everyone to be caught up in the politics of religion and race. With that, the past Government ingratiated this opportunity to cloud everyone's judgement in the eyes of religion and race. Thereafter, the voices (of these enforced disappearances) dissipated amongst the views of the majority. Those in the realm of power whether in law enforcement or in the throes of heads of government felt threatened if the justification is directly perceived as a threat. For example, the Altantunya case was decidedly coerced in such a manner that investigations from enforcement agencies will lead to diluted justifications and those concerned are not affected. A law enforcement official evaded authorities and eloped to a country where death penalty laws are viewed as a concern. People in power have always a cause for concern if certain individuals felt their roles and profitability are awash with criminal propensities.

The view is that Amri Che Mat, Joshua and Ruth Hilmi and Pastor Raymond Koh knew the dilemma of trafficking of persons, hence, they were about to report on the issues faced by their 'new' faithful.

Fourthly, the authorities have yet to shed light on who are the Malaysians involved in the Wang Kelian incident. Thailand convicted a very senior military person that's linked to the incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's cabinet. That said, Thailand is trying to do its best to shed light on the trafficking of persons' issues.

With SUHAKAM report wanting a new investigation into the enforced disappearances of these four individuals, and with the new RCI on the Wang Kelian mass graves incident, its time we try to build a new investigative equation that can finally seek to solve these wanting problems for so many of us.

Wang Kelian and Wang Prachan Belatedly Wanting

Macaques roamed freely the extent of the surrounding forest that covered the border between Wang Kelian, Perlis and Wang Prachan, Satun. For the macaques, these monkeys don't have borders and they seem to be satisfied with the exploits on both sides of the border as humans leave a trail of food in the rubbish bins at the borders. These creatures have already formed a liking and had learned to open up the rubbish bins and looked for the contents. Disappointed, on what's available in the bins, they left a trail of thrown rubbish by the side of the bins.

Macaques foraging for food that in the rubbish bins

It's a quiet evening and I have arrived at Wang Kelian, Perlis on March 8, 2019, in a rented Perodua Axia just a while ago in Arau, Perlis. The border posts are closed at 7pm, every day. I was 18 minutes late and was assuming that perhaps there could be a cross border night market. I was mistaken. At the sight of the macaques, I was thrilled. However, on a closer observation at the border post, it looked deserted, locked and ICQS staff have gone home. There were a few Thai citizens at a covered bus stand, just outside the public toilet, and another couple further down the road sitting under an undergrowth. They looked tired, dejected from an arduous journey (in Thailand) and apparently were (patiently) waiting for some public transportation to fetch them to other localities in Malaysia.

Welcoming Sign, Wang Kelian, on the side next to it is the public toilet

Closed at 7pm daily

As I proceed to closer to the ICQS checkpoint, I noticed that the whole structure belongs to Malaysia, today. It used to be a shared facility between Malaysia and Thailand. How it functioned before was, the Southern end of the building was run by Malaysian ICQS, and the Northern end, by the Thai immigration and security. Thai immigration today have their own ICQS post and checkpoint. I am very sure that this only happened after the massacre and incident that happened just not too far away in the forests around here. This incident that was uncovered on 1 May 2015 and an additional 139 mass graves were discovered on May 24 the same year. It was the Thai authorities who discovered the murders, initially on some other homicide cases in Satun, and later, the case became delicate on their end and ended cooperating with the Malaysian authorities that found mass graves on the side of our border.

A lengthier probe and investigation led to the conviction to a very senior security figure in Bangkok and today, Malaysia is relaunching the Royal Commission Inquiry into the Wang Kelian massacre. No arrests were made on the Malaysian side. In 2018, the US State Department in its Human Trafficking Report downgraded Malaysia into the Tier 2 cluster - An undesirable cluster that includes countries that are considered violators of human trafficking laws.

It's of no surprise Thailand did their part in rooting out culprits behind the tragedy and the expose of the intricate human trafficking cartel. Hence, they wanted a new beginning, proper facilities, technologies, and more effective laws. Tourism is the number one revenue income for the country and in order to thwart tragedies such as the Wang Kelian incident, the establishment of the procedures, enhanced protocols, and the encouragement of people, travel and tourism, to upgrade a lonely facility to one that's frequented with patrons. It's a view that a lonely cross bordering checkpoint that's frequented by locals and localised traders will have lackadaisical checks and security. Smugglers and traffickers who have a recce and study these parts could enhance their strategies against those security measures. That said, land and sea borders checkpoints have always been difficult to secure because of the isolated areas. In most of the land borders, there are various ways to get across illegally and that has been identified in the other blogs in this series; for example, the Tumpat and Tak Bai crossing, even though it's across an estuarine.

Closed at 7pm, daily

This area is really a sight if it wasn't for the tragedy. It affected the border market that used to be the main attraction on both sides of the divide. Before the tragedy, the Sunday market thronged on both sides of the market but today, it's only vibrant in Wang Prachan after the Thai ICQS. The Malaysian side of the businesses looked lifeless and lacked activities in both the Duty-Free Green Earth Emporium and the 'Arked Pekan Sehari Wang Kelian' (Wang Kelian Weekday Arcade). The Arcade is basically now a defunct and empty structure.

Duty-Free Green Earth Emporium

Wang Kelian Weekday Arcade

The Arcade is massive but there's no business

Such wasteful resources

With that, on the very next day upon my return, I didn't bother to waste time on the Malaysian side. Eager to know what's on the other side I decided to prod to the immigration and beyond. Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan border only accommodates mostly travellers and traders on both sides of the divide. It's easy to cross the Malaysian side. Customs enforcement isn't visible. But four kilometres before the immigration and just after three kilometres from the T-junction between Kaki Bukit and Wang Kelian, there's an AKSEM (Agensi Kawalan Sempadan Malaysia) roadblock. Individuals and vehicles have to declare their presence, and if requested to see identifications or documents, they have to be surfaced for inspection. Nevertheless, the checks and inspections are very much minimal. An observation, I made (at the Wang Kelian immigration post) was that a few officers just sat around the building (outside) not doing anything at all, perhaps their tasks to only observe and mingle if there are any confused travellers.

After the Malaysian immigration check, Thai immigration is about 80 metres to the Thai ICQS after the Wang Kelian immigration main gate. Just before the Thai immigration, and about 15 or 20 metres after the main gate, the Duty-Free Green Earth Emporium compound is situated on the right. The gate is opened but it seemed there were no patronisers. And just after that, the Thai ICQS compound came into view with a number of travellers mingling in the area under shady trees.

A queue extended from the 'Arrival' window of the Thai ICQS. The queue consists mostly of Malaysians and travellers either travelling in groups or individuals like me. Like all Thai immigration counters, the land borders seem to process the documents much faster than those at the airports. Most Malaysians were on their way to the town of Satun for shopping at Makro. Most other travellers prefer island or beach destinations like Ko Lipe or Pak Bara. Satun is becoming quite a gem for the island and beach travellers as many of the other islands in Southern Thailand had grown congested and expensive. There are also a lot of pickup trucks like Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Hilux, and Ford Rangers commuting between Malaysia and Thailand. Most bore Thai plates and these pickups ply mostly to Malaysia to ferry sundry items and foodstuffs to Satun. Having said that, many of the foodstuffs like noodles, condiments, milk powder, etc., (at the border) do come from Malaysia especially in Satun, Songkhla, Narathiwat, and Jala.

Just After the Thai Immigration - A Spanking New Facility

Just Outside the Thai ICQS, the Border market

The Arked is defunct but the new Boundary Market of Thailand-Malaysia is seemingly thriving today

Just wondering whether the businesses in Malaysia have gone 'nolo contendere' since the mass graves incident that causes Malaysian border residents of Perlis and Kedah from having anything to do with Wang Kelian. If that's the case, the Perlis government have not been at the heels trying to reform the border economy on the Malaysian side. Pakatan Harapan should step in to revive the border market again.

Upon seeing what's happening, reviving the Wang Kelian's economy can help Malaysian and Thai residents forge better relations. As there's activity going on human traffickers will also shy from the areas. Having said that in the whole land border crossings, I have seen very little activity in Wang Kelian using 'Lorong Haram' or illegitimate land border crossings. In fact, it's quite impossible, after witnessing the steep ravines on both sides of the land border. In fact, not many travellers will drive to Wang Kelian, as a part of the journey is quite adventurous. Steep hillsides and the sharp upward road bends for 3 kilometres is not to someone's liking if one's not prepared for such an adventurous drive.

However, that wasn't the case. According to an anonymous Kaki Bukit aunty I spoke at the public toilet before I departed the immigration checkpoints, she deliberated that the main cause was the massive graves found in Wang Kelian. As many of these Kampung residents still believe in supernatural telltales, local residents will have to be brave to accommodate the tragedies and the telltales. The only businesses today, before the Wang Kelian checkpoints, are the food stalls near the checkpoint and a Caltex petrol station and a vibrant Thai food stall before proceeding up the steep granite mountain.

Despite the gloom on the Malaysian side, the Thai side is definitely thronging. Back then, about 11 or 12 years ago, Wang Prachan, was basically a sleepy hole for cross-border residents. There were only some stalls, which basically sold drinks and food stalls before the Thai immigration. Only on Sundays, did both the Perlis and Satun government allow a realistically cross border market that thronged not only at the Arked but also a Kilometre from the Wang Kelian side to the Wang Prachan side. Back then security was pretty lax on both sides and residents can cross the land border freely on Sundays to participate or purchase food, farm equipment or kitchen utensils, pots and pans at the market. But years back before the incident, Wang Prachan market did sell violent weapons like handguns. [There was someone in the past that photographed the handguns - At first thought, they were BB handguns, but they weren't. I tried to source it again on the web but it had since been removed.] After the incident, less violent weapons are still sold like combat knives, machetes and defensive torchlights. Moreover, Thai security authorities are hiking up and down the roadsides, and any irregularities by any traders can be apprehended upon selling or trafficking weapons.

Exotic gadgets sold at the market

Today, the Thai and Satun government just wanted to rid the negativity and hence, a flood of traders have set up more stalls stretching as long as about 1.2 Kilometres each side of the road. Most of the traders sell daily items like I have spoken before, but what caught my attention was that most of the foodstuffs, especially the condiments, biscuits, sweets, and junk foodstuff like chips, come from Malaysia. As such, not many Malaysians like myself, thronged the market if the individual did not just come for borderland's shopping spree. As for me, its to see the kind of wares they are selling. I saw a group of Malaysians, that seemed to be interested in combat knives and machetes. I did not ask them how they are going to bring across the border but in any case, if it's just the immigration checks no one will notice. AKSEM (further down the road after Wang Kelian) may seek to do a security check but when I approached them (on my way back after the market), I told them about visiting the border market and they did not seem to even bother to peek into the car or check the car boot. Sigh! That said, the AKSEM guys were very pleasant and nice.

The best to enjoy this sort of market is to walk both sides of the divide, talk to the stall holders either in Malay or Thai language. The Malay language in these parts are different again, they have the Kedah lingo, slang and accent, and the pronunciations are softspoken and audible. Unlike Malaysian stall traders, they tend to be more aggressive and hence, when any patronisers walk pass by their stalls they tend to advertise audibly in the Thai language. In Jala, Narathiwat, and Pattani, its less and perhaps more like the Malaysian traders, i.e., your choice, hence less influence.

Its Saturday, hence the activity picks up rather slow

This is Sunday, notice two security officials going up and down checking and mingling with the patrons

I bought a big packet of pistachio that's considered cheap. As the morning sun began to sizzle and am profusing as if I just stepped out of the shower, I decided to head back to the immigration checkpoints. Just before I returned, a few objects caught my observation; coaches on the far end of the trading stalls just after the military security checkpoint and bird cages in the middle of the road divider.

Buses or coaches from Bangkok. Most people from Central Thailand come to Wang Prachan to purchase Malaysian conditions and foodstuffs.

These buses, years back hardly come to this part of the province. Perhaps, the current Thai government find it important to develop these remote areas and provide jobs not only for the people in Satun but also people in the Deep South, particularly to steer them away from troubles. At this writing, and in my hotel room, I learned from Malaysian TV 3 Channel in the evening, that Satun town, that is, 35 Kilometres from Wang Prachan, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had exploded, Further up in Phatallung (province), bombs also went off in the city centre.

Whatever is the case the Thai authorities should not just be lackadaisical about their attitudes by just increasing security, military and law enforcement officials. It's not enough. Mara Patani was disgusted by the fact that one of the most senior Thai negotiators was not present at the negotiation in Kuala Lumpur.  Gen Udomchai Thammasaroraj refusal to meet with Mara Patani leader Encik Dulloh did not fare well for the Deep South problems. Already, Barisan Nasional Revolusi (BRN) refuses any discussions with the current Thai government but its opportunistic for Udomchai to straighten some issues like for example, disarmament, demilitarisation, and the giving up of weapons and I think perhaps the Thai general wasn't interested and only keen to meet the ex-IGP YB Tuan Rahim Noor.  Well, since the collapse of the talks, it seems one of these rebel groups decided to notch up their disappointment by expanding their militaristic activities into Satun and Phatallung. Thailand is already beguiled by the latest tragic episodes of the Chinese tourists shying away from Thailand as a form of boycott. Coupled with these terrorist threats, these are not going to jive well. The land of smiles will be smiling but the current troubles may only jeopardise those happy smiles. Satun is a new gem for Thailand because of Ko Lipe, the surrounding isles and Pak Bara.

Red-Whiskered Bulbul or Crested Bulbul

The Crested Bulbul is stressed, thus flustering in the cage as I was taking its picture

This picture was taken on Saturday, hence the bird cages were not visible then. Only the security checkpoint. Notice that I didn't include the post because there were officers manning the checkpoint.

Red-Whiskered Bulbuls (RWB)loved to chirp in the notes of happiness. Security officials parading the roads may seem relaxed, but the terror issues, the human trafficking issues, and other security issues may crop up sporadically. Will the Deep South ever enjoy a comprehensive peaceful resonance, it's only the residents of Malaysian - Thailand border willing to give it a chance.

Just one quick note about the caged RWB. Southern Thailand is a treasure of resources for agriculture, natural resources and tourism. Hence, many people in the Deep South has developed a liking for the bird-song contest. Many birds that chirp wonderfully well especially like RWBs, the Myrnas, Oriental-Magpie Robin, etc., are captured and trained for the bird-singing contest. Despite its not illegal, still, this sort of action extended appreciation towards the enslavement and poaching of other animals as well. Pangolins and various anteater species are exotic aphrodisiac dishes in countries like China. There were instances in the past where Thai poachers came into Malaysian jungles to trap exotic species of animals like sun bears and tigers. In many parts of Asia and in their wet markets, there are certain animals either sold for food or for pets. It's difficult at times to educate them, firstly, it's a cultural activity, and secondly, they will tell you that they don't hunt or capture these animals for pleasure but for a purpose. Sometimes the question is about priorities. Only when the animal is endangered, then the full force of the law is there to curb the smuggling and trafficking. Otherwise, it's business as usual. Traders do get angry when these animals' pictures are taken or videoed. They do know about the reasons behind their pictures or videos. Most of these traders rely on hunted and captured wildlife as a source of income. Their actions can be deemed deplorable but its always difficult to ascertain a morality to these issues, as long as it's not a greedy income. However, then again these traders used such exotic animals to treat us marketers into believing their word. There are still many ways to do trading, but they want these animals as a form of attraction and distraction to many interested patrons that eventually being tricked to make a purchase.

Wang Kelian-Wang Prachan border is a step in the right direction. There're more improvements to be ascertained especially if the idea is to push for a better and more livelier border. Opportunities abound and in the next few years, Satun will offer a new direction for the other Deep South provinces to follow. On the Thai side, it will be better, no doubt. On the Malaysian side, I am still unsure what's the ideals for the Perlis government and PH to improve this area, only time will tell.

One Last Note:

One of the most important facts about this trip had me forgotten to relate in this article is how foreigners used the Wang Kelian border post to extend their stay in Thailand. The province of Satun has given many foreigners the opportunity to experience the sand, the sun, the sea, and the islands. One particular island here in Satun is Ko Lipe. The upturn and influx of foreigners are unbearably a fortune for the province. Because Satun is predominantly a Muslim province, the service sector that serves the entertainment industry prevents Muslims from engaging in the industry. Bars are a no-go for pious and religious Muslims and the massage parlours that spell close proximity with the opposite sex is also a prohibition. Food industries that thrived on non-Halal ingredients also become a bane for the local residents to work in this industry. Hence, Muslims only can provide information on tourism packages, managing accommodations in hostels or hotels or running errands and transportation services. As with many provinces in Thailand, most of the entertainment service industries have employees sourced from Northern and Northeastern provinces in Thailand. Satun has its share of troubles in the past, and most Thais that come from the North have a biased view about the Southern Muslims. The reason being the violence that's deeply rooted in the 'Deep South'. Hence non-Muslim employers in the entertainment and service industry have a dilemma. The only strategy, source foreign workers from the Mekong basin, and in this case, Laos. Laos has always been at the heart of Thailand and the main reason is that the whole of Laos was once part of the Siamese nation, historically. Many Thais still have suspicions with Burma (Myanmar) and Cambodia.

So what has Laos and Western foreigners had anything to do with Wang Kelian?

Well, the immigration conditions for Thailand in the last 2 years have changed drastically. One of the things is that any foreigners in Thailand that have their passport renewed after the 2nd time, they can no longer stay in Thailand. Foreigners have to go to a nearby ASEAN nation and supposedly stay there for a few days. But recently, the procedures changed again in Thailand as after the Chinese debacle and violence that flared up in social media have angered many Chinese. The Chinese boycotted Thailand. In order to thwart the dwindling influx of Chinese tourists, Thai immigration allows foreigners to just obtain proof of 'exit' from the country. It DOES NOT matter when they returned.

So what happened at Wang Kelian on weekends is that many of the foreigners (including Laotians) exited Wang Prachan, Satun, Thailand, and walk about 150 meters to the Wang Kelian immigration. They obtain their Malaysian chops and then 'exited' Malaysia on the next immigration window. Once done, they walked back into Thailand and re-chop their passport as if anew.

Well, basically, Malaysia should care about this. Firstly, these people never entered Malaysia and they only make use of the immigration post. And secondly, this gives false positives and figures to our tourism statistics that these people actually visited Malaysia and do good to our economy. What's to be needed is the fact that there's a need to charge some nominal fee, and they have to pay in ringgit or US dollars. This will alleviate our tourism figures and statistics and generate a sizeable income for our country.

Troubles in Southern Thailand - A Collection As At 22 June 2018

This section of the blog will provide a gathering of articles from troubled situations in Southern Thailand. Initially, I didn't want to collect these articles but on March 11, 2019, have exacerbated to other provinces in Southern Thailand. Most of the terrorist bombings occur in the provinces of Jala, Narathiwat and Pattani. But on March 2019, explosions have caught the authorities off guard in Satun and Phattalung provinces. The discussions that are facilitated by Malaysian authorities for the Thai rebels and the Thai government was called off because some rebel factions are disagreeable with the conditions put forth by the Thai Government.

To gather what's being transpired, its best to collect these articles facilitated by both Malaysian and Thai media. However, I think since most of the situations happened in Thailand, the Thai media will be more reciprocative as the information gathered in Malaysia is for the consumption of those will be travelling or working or doing business in Thailand.