Refugees sighted before discovery of graves

PADANG BESAR: Before the gruesome discovery of mass graves and camps, locals in Kampung Wang Kelian saw refugees coming down the hill in search of help.
Villager Lyza Ibrahim, 37, told theSun that she and her husband stumbled upon a group of people whom she believes are Rohingya refugees last month.
"I was with my husband late in the evening when we were just about to close our warung, we saw a group of people, about ten of them, they look tired and some looked malnourished.
"When they realised that we saw them, they asked for help by touching their stomach and pointing to their mouth as a sign of hunger and thirst," she said.
Lyza who has been staying at the village since 1998, said that the refugees also showed signs of fatigue and their condition looked bad with bruises and visible wounds on their bodies.
Feeling sympathy for their plight, Lyza and her husband called several of their neighbours to help the refugees.
"We provided food, water and clothes to them. We also let them clean themselves.
"Some of us even cooked for them. After that we called the police who came and took them away," she said.
Another villager Azizah Mad Isa, said several times last year she heard gunshot sounds coming from the hilly area near the forest reserve in Wang Kelian.
"Several times I heard gunshot sounds, but I thought it came from hunting activities or army training," said the 56-year-old mother of three.
When asked if she knew of the existence of the mass graves, Azizah said: "I was shocked to hear about that, I have lived here since the day I was born, I never knew such atrocities happened near us," she said.
Nordila Abd Talib, 30, also expressed shock over the discovery of the graves, saying it should not have happened in the first place.
"I heard the camps has been running for more than five years.
"The hilly area is a secluded area, it is impossible for the villagers to go near there. After all it is a forest reserve and restricted to security personnel only", she said.
On Monday police discovered 139 graves, each believed to contain remains of three or four bodies of trafficked victims, mainly the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.