Thailand yesterday began a court hearing in a major people smuggling case involving 88 suspected human traffickers.

The suspects include an army general, senior police officers and local politicians.

The court hearing comes after an investigation into the trafficking of Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar through Thailand.

Several mass graves were discovered near the Thai-Malaysian border this year, sparking an international outcry.

The bodies were thought to be those of migrants trapped in camps in the jungle.

Bangladeshi migrants, and ethnic Rohingyas who face persecution in Myanmar, are normally brought by people smugglers to Thailand where they are effectively held ransom until they can raise money for their onward journey to Malaysia and beyond.

An investigation by the BBC's Jonathan Head has found entire communities in Thailand helping the traffickers.

The 88 suspects appeared in court yesterday for a pre-trial hearing.

The trial begins next week - however, there are about 500 witnesses, and a court

official has warned that it could take two years before the court reaches a verdict.

Describing the charges, one judge was quoted by AFP as saying: "All 88 defendants together let victims starve, denied health treatments for sick victims and hid bodies on the mountain [camps] where they died."

The Thai government launched a crack-

down on smugglers in May, arresting suspects including local mayor Banjong Pongphon, and transferring over 50 police officers suspected of links to human traffickers.

Following the crackdown, smugglers began to abandon boats carrying migrants, leading to thousands of Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims being stranded at sea.