Major Thai trafficking trial opens amid fears for witnesses

Human trafficking suspects arrive at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The trial of 92 suspected human traffickers, arrested after the discovery of shallow graves of migrants in Thai jungle, began in Bangkok on Tuesday and the attorney-general's office said it would be over within a year amid fears about the safety of witnesses.

Traffickers abandoned boatloads of migrants at sea last year after a crackdown by Thai authorities that led to a regional migrant crisis with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh refusing boats permission to land.