Thailand will prosecute 72 people, including Army General Manas Kongpan, who engaged in a trans-national human trafficking ring, said spokesman of the Office of the Attorney General Wanchai Roujanavong on July 24.

Spokesman of the Office of the Attorney General Wanchai Roujanavong at the press conference

The suspects-indicted with 16 counts of human trafficking, trans-national criminal activity and violations of official duty-will be tried at a court in Songkhla province where dozens of bodies, said to be the ring’s victims, were unearthed.

Talking with the media in Bangkok, Wanchai emphasised that Thailand will not hold influential people rise above the law.

The case is a priority of the Thai judicial sector as it has caused serious impact on the country’s reputation, he added.

The sweeping investigation began after 33 bodies, believed to be migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, were exhumed from various jungle camps near the Thai-Malaysian border, the Bangkok Post reported.

(Source: VNA)