DHAKA: A Bangladeshi survived in a mass grave that have been discovered in southern Thailand and was being treated at a hospital in nearby Padang Besar.
The hospital confirmed the Bangladeshi man had survived and was in a stable condition.
Earlier on Friday, about 30 graves, believed to belong to migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, have been discovered in southern Thailand, a rescue worker says, reports the abc.net.au.
The grave site was found in Sadao district of Songkhla province at an abandoned camp for "boat people", who had apparently been trafficked to Thailand's border area with Malaysia.
"There are 32 graves, four bodies have now been exhumed and are on their way to hospital for an autopsy," rescue worker Sathit Thamsuwan said.
He was at the scene soon after the site was found.
"The bodies were all decayed."
He added a single man from Bangladesh survived and was being treated at a hospital in nearby Padang Besar.
The local hospital confirmed the Bangladeshi man had survived and was in a stable condition.
National police chief general Somyot Poompanmoung described the site as a virtual "prison camp" where migrants were held in makeshift bamboo cells.
"There are 32 places that look like graves and whether there is one body or several bodies in those graves, we will have to wait and see," he said.
He said the smugglers were believed to have abandoned the sick man when they moved Rohingya migrants across the border into Malaysia two days ago.
Local media said the camp and its lone survivor were stumbled upon by villagers looking for mushrooms.
The grisly discovery of the grave was also confirmed by a senior official from Sadao.
"Military and border patrol police have now cordoned the area off, so, we can bring forensic officials to the site," he said, requesting anonymity.
Those dead were believed to have starved to death or died of disease while awaiting ransom payments to be made so they could be smuggled into Malaysia, local media reported.
Tens of thousands of migrants from Myanmar -- mainly from the Rohingya Muslim minority -- and increasingly from Bangladesh make the dangerous sea crossing to southern Thailand, a well worn trafficking route often on the way south to Malaysia and beyond.
Thousands of Rohingya -- described by the UN as one of the world's most persecuted minorities -- have fled deadly communal unrest in western Myanmar's Rakhine state since 2012.
Thailand has been criticized in the past for pushing boatloads of Rohingya entering Thai waters back out to sea and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities.
The ruling junta says it has taken significant steps to combat trafficking since June, when the United States dumped Thailand to the bottom of its list of countries accused of failing to tackle modern-day slavery.
In January, Thai authorities confirmed more than a dozen government officials -- including senior policemen and a navy officer -- are being prosecuted for involvement or complicity in human trafficking.
BDST: 1304 HRS, MAY 02, 2015
RS/RR
