As homicide cases continue in Penang, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim is urging the police to reveal the status of its investigations into the ‘slaughterhouse’ it raided last month.

He also called on the federal government, particularly the Home Affairs Ministry, to take immediate action against rampart human trafficking in the northern peninsula, which he believes to be linked to the murders.

“The people of Bukit Mertajam do not wish for our area to become like Lahad Datu and the east coast of Sabah, where there is rampant immigration of undocumented migrants and criminal activities involving syndicates of migrants,” he said in a statement today.

His statement followed the finding of three bodies in Penang on Christmas day, one in Bukit Mertajam, one in nearby Machang Bubuk, and the last in Bayan Lepas across the Penang Strait.

The first two bodies were reportedly believed to be foreigners, but had been unidentified. The third was a United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) refugee from Myanmar.

According to Sim, there were 37 murders in Penang last year, but this year’s figure already exceeds 50 so far - 30 of which involve migrants - and of these 30, 20 cases involve Myanmar nationals.

On Dec 4, police personnel discovered a house in Cherok Tok Kun where the victims were believed to be dismembered before their bodies were disposed of.

A total of 17 Myanmar nationals were reportedly arrested since then, according to the Penang police.

Sim said the concern now is that these cases are not mere sectarian violence brought in by Myanmar nationals, but involve criminal gangs that deal with human trafficking, gambling, extortion, and other activities.

“If (this is) true, then the safety of the local community are threatened. Who knows when would these migrant criminal syndicates turn against Malaysian citizens as well,” he stressed.