(June 30): The authorities are finding it hard to bring to justice the masterminds behind human trafficking syndicates because most of them operate abroad, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today.

Not discounting the possibility that some could be Malaysians, Khalid said as these masterminds were working outside of the country, it was hard to arrest and prosecute them.

"The big fish is not here. Well most are not, and it is a challenge for us to bring them here to face charges," said Khalid after the closing ceremony of an anti-human trafficking and migrant smuggling seminar in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said police were working towards improving Malaysian's ranking on the Trafficking in Persons index from Tier 3 to Tier 2.

The United States government last year downgraded Malaysia along with three other countries – Thailand, Gambia and Venezuela – to Tier 3 in its annual Trafficking of Persons report.

Listing out these countries' "broken promises" over several years, the US said placing these countries on the lowest possible ranking was due to the lack of insufficient action against human trafficking, CNN reported last year.

In terms to authorities' action in combating human trafficking activities, Khalid said that following the 1,109 boat people that landed in Langkawi early May, police arrested a local man and eight foreigners for trafficking them.

He said the local man, who was the boat owner, had been charged in court on June 25 under the Anti-Human Trafficking Act.

It is not known if the eight were charged together.

He also said the two policemen who were arrested for being involved in human trafficking activities in Wang Kelian last month were currently detained in a detention centre under POCA (Prevention of Crime Act).

Khalid said the latest arrest made by police this year would be yesterday when they arrested seven Myanmar nationals and two Bangladeshis in Kedah for human trafficking activities.

He did not elaborate further on the arrests.

Malaysia was in the spotlight this year when authorities found a mass grave in Wang Kelian not far from the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Police found 139 suspected graves near 28 human trafficking camps in the jungle of Wang Kelian when they began combing the area from Tangga Seratus to Kampaung Wai from May 11 to May 23. – The Malaysian Insider