Thai general is jailed for 27 years in human-trafficking case, as rights groups press for justice
Lieutenant General Manus Kongpan was identified by the South China Morning Post in 2009 as orchestrating the brutal secret detention and expulsion of Rohingya migrants
A Bangkok court convicted the 62, including a general, police officers and provincial officials, on Wednesday at the end of Thailand’s biggest ever human-trafficking trial.
Lieutenant General Manus Kongpan was convicted of several offences involving trafficking and taking bribes and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. He had held a position with responsibility for keeping out and expelling migrants who entered Thailand illegally.
The longest jail term was 94 years, for Soe Naing, widely known as Anwar, a Rohingya man who police said was a key figure behind the jungle camp where dozens died.
At least one other defendant considered a kingpin in the illegal trade, Pajjuban Aungkachotephan, was also found guilty. He was a prominent businessman and former politician in the southern province of Satun. He received 75 years in prison.