Nine Children Rescued From Malaysia Trafficking Ring UPDATED

“Police have rescued nine children and arrested 33 suspected members of a child trafficking syndicate in northern Malaysia, a state police chief said Thursday.

Malaysia: Police rescue 9 children from traffickers, arrest 33

[The Voice of Russia 1/24/13]

“The police busted a baby-for-sale syndicate that sells babies in “packages” of up to RM30,000 per child with the arrest of its mastermind and 32 others involved in the crime.

Nine children, between the ages of two months and eight years old, were also rescued in the operation that was launched in December last year.

Penang police chief DCP Datuk Abd Rahim Hanafi said a local doctor and a civil servant from the National Registration Department(NRD) were amongst the 33 suspects arrested in connection with the child trafficking ring.

“The mastermind of the syndicate is an ethnic Chinese woman in her 50s and we believe the syndicate has been in operation since 2009,” he told a press conference this morning.

The syndicate is believed to target single pregnant women who are foreign nationals, mostly Indonesians and Thais, and are desperate for money.

“They would pay the mothers about RM2,000 or more depending on the nationality, race and physical condition of the mother and then sell the babies to childless couples in “packages” that are priced between RM15,000 and RM30,000 per child,” he said.

He said the “packages” will include original birth certificates and MyKid issued by the NRD.

The ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act) Taskforce also confiscated 19 handphones, five original MyKid identity cards, 14 original birth certificates, 18 medical cards, two cars, RM15,000 in cash and babies’ clothing in the operation.

Of the three boys and six girls rescued in the operation, Abd Rahim said seven are believed to be of Thai parentage, one local and one Bangladesh.

They children are now placed in a “safe” place and the police are now obtaining court orders to place them in appropriate homes.

He said Operation Cinta Sayang was launched in December last year after police received a report of a foreign national selling her newborn baby for RM4,300.

“Operation Cinta Sayang covered three states ― Penang, Kedah and Perak ― and now all of the suspects have been remanded in Penang until January 27,” he said.

Three Indonesians were among the suspects, aged between 23 and 62-years old, that were arrested.

The investigations papers for the case have been submitted to the Deputy Public Prosecutor’s office for further instructions.

He said the case was investigated under Section 14 of the ATIP Act 2007 for trafficking in children, which provides for between three and 20 years’ imprisonment.”

Police bust trafficking ring and save nine children

[The Malaysian Insider 1/24/13 by Opalyn Mok]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “Four women and a man pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to trafficking children from 2009 to January this year.

D.C. Chin, 57, Ooi Ah Imm, 47, Lim Choon Liang, 63, Lim Soo Chin, 52, and Bahtiar Abas, 51, were charged under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

The accused allegedly committed the offences at various locations in Perak, Penang and Kedah, between December 28, 2009 and January 16 this year.

Judge Nabisha Ibrahim set bail at RM50,000 with one surety each and fixed February 15 for re-mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Siti Aishah Ramlan conducted the prosecution while lawyer Y. Yogeswaran represented Soo Chin and Chun Liang, and J.J Singh and K. Supramaniam appeared for Chin and Ooi respectively. Bahtiar was unrepresented.”

Five charged with child trafficking

[The Malaysian Insider 1/25/13]