III. The Discovery of the Wang Kelian Mass Graves and Human-Trafficking Camp 74 Post-Discovery of the Human-Trafficking Camp in Wang Kelian, Perlis State The authorities closed the Free Movement Zone in Wang Kelian in Perlis State on April 1, 2015 upon the discovery of the human-trafficking camp in Wang Burma hill. The Commission recorded statements from residents of Wang Kelian, who indicated that several layers of enforcement agencies monitored the region, but these agencies overlooked the human-trafficking camp on Wang Burma hill. The Free Movement Zone is located in an open area in contrast to the area where the camp was discovered, which is in a forested area on a hill. There are no posts for Malaysian enforcement authorities to monitor the surrounding area on Wang Burma hill, while there is an immigration post in the Free Movement Zone. According to residents, the closure of the Free Movement Zone adversely affected the local economy and economic activities.243 KEY ISSUES The Commission collected statements suggesting that the region of Wang Burma hill was not under the operational area of Ops Wawasan but was included in the GOF’s operational area after receiving complaints about “foreigners’” movements in and out of Wang Burma hill and reports of music coming from the hill.244 According to the Royal Malaysian Police, Ops Wawasan is a region beyond their responsibility and duty. The Royal Malaysian Police have data on foreigners entering Malaysia through arrests in respective regions under their supervision and information from the Special Branch, who record the statements of detainees. In its internal meetings, the Royal Malaysian Police raised information about arrests or issues for further action by relevant agencies. Further, the statement to the Commission from the Immigration Department said that their authority and control in Perlis State is bounded around the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex of Padang Besar in Perlis State and around the Immigration Border Control Post in Wang Kelian, which are key entry points into Malaysia. Other tasks handled by the Immigration Department includes receiving foreigners suspected to be “undocumented foreign migrants” by other enforcement agencies, such as the GOF who arrest migrants who lack valid travel documents. The Destruction of the Wang Kelian Human-Trafficking Camp in Perlis State The Royal Malaysian Police justified the destruction of the camp on Wang Burma hill in January 2015 as reasonable on the grounds that if it were not destroyed it may foreigners or subversive agents may have misused it. The Royal Malaysian Police says it recorded photos of the camp and its tents. A statement recorded from “Person R,” Senior Officer of Perlis State Contingent Headquarters with regard to the demolition of the camp provided the Commission with two conclusions: 1. If the area was an active crime scene, then the police should not have destroyed it until the investigation concluded. 2. If the area had the potential to be misused by criminals to commit other crimes, then it could have been destroyed after the investigation was conducted. Person R said that if the chair of the meeting held on January 20, 2015 was aware about an area suspected to be a mass gravesite at the scene, then his order for the camp to be destroyed could be considered an extermination of evidence, which could amount to an obstruction of justice. 243 See, “Tears Flow Over Entry Ban,” The Star Online, July 17, 2015, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/07/17/ tears-flow-over-free-entry-ban-town-now-bereft-of-visitors-and-trade/ (accessed on March 25, 2019). 244 GOF tactically patrolled over the region.