PHUKET: Thailand has undertaken to quickly implement policies and an overall strategy in response to the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons report 2014 that downgraded the country for the first time to Tier 3.
A spokesperson for the National Council for Peace and Order promised a more intense use of law enforcement both on labor laws and human trafficking.
With the forced exodus of Rohingya boatpeople perhaps the most troubling issue for Thailand and its neighbors, the coup command undertook to raise the issue of the Muslim minority with neighboring countries.
Malaysia, the country where many of the Rohingya are heading when they are mysteriously delivered into the hands of traffickers at secret camps in southern Thailand, was also relegated to Tier 3.
While genuine progress appears to have been made by Thailand in dealing with some issues highlighted in the report, silence and secrecy still surround the military's approach to the treatment of the would-be refugees.
''There continued to be reports that corrupt Thai civilian and military officials profited from the smuggling of Rohingya asylum seekers from Burma and Bangladesh (who transit through Thailand in order to reach Malaysia or Indonesia) and were complicit in their sale into forced labor on fishing vessels,'' the report says.
''Thai navy and marine officials allegedly diverted to Thailand boats carrying Rohingya asylum seekers en route to Malaysia and facilitated the transfer of some migrants to smugglers and brokers who sold some Rohingya into forced labor on fishing vessels.
''Additionally, there are media reports that some Thai police officials systematically removed Rohingya men from detention facilities in Thailand and sold them to smugglers and brokers; these smugglers and brokers allegedly transported the men to southern Thailand where some were forced to work as cooks and guards in camps, or were sold into forced labor on farms or in shipping companies.''
The Royal Thai Navy's unprecedented military versus media law suit against Phuketwan journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian was referenced in the TIP report not once, but three times.
The hollowness of Thailand's previous efforts to target traffickers is spelled out succinctly in a couple of sentences:
''Government labor inspections of 40,963 worksites did not result in the identification of any suspected cases of labor trafficking. The Marine Police and the Thai navy did not uncover any suspected cases of trafficking during ownership and registration inspections of 10,427 vessels.''
Judging by the comments of Thailand's coup commander, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, in his weekly televised commentary last night, the treatment of migrant workers and Rohingya refugees is likely to be made a priority over the next few weeks.
Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed after the downgrade that Thailand remains ''committed to combating human trafficking because the issue remains a national priority and human trafficking is anathema to our nation's core values.''
The NCPO gives ''utmost importance and support to integrated efforts against human trafficking,'' said a media release.
''Indeed, Thailand's effort is not a reaction to the TIP Report or any particular country, but is the reflection of the country's firm commitment and respect to human rights, internationally accepted standards, and humanitarian values.
''Moreover, Thailand views the need to address human trafficking immediately as it is a scourge on mankind.''
A spokesperson for the National Council for Peace and Order promised a more intense use of law enforcement both on labor laws and human trafficking.
With the forced exodus of Rohingya boatpeople perhaps the most troubling issue for Thailand and its neighbors, the coup command undertook to raise the issue of the Muslim minority with neighboring countries.
Malaysia, the country where many of the Rohingya are heading when they are mysteriously delivered into the hands of traffickers at secret camps in southern Thailand, was also relegated to Tier 3.
While genuine progress appears to have been made by Thailand in dealing with some issues highlighted in the report, silence and secrecy still surround the military's approach to the treatment of the would-be refugees.
''There continued to be reports that corrupt Thai civilian and military officials profited from the smuggling of Rohingya asylum seekers from Burma and Bangladesh (who transit through Thailand in order to reach Malaysia or Indonesia) and were complicit in their sale into forced labor on fishing vessels,'' the report says.
''Thai navy and marine officials allegedly diverted to Thailand boats carrying Rohingya asylum seekers en route to Malaysia and facilitated the transfer of some migrants to smugglers and brokers who sold some Rohingya into forced labor on fishing vessels.
''Additionally, there are media reports that some Thai police officials systematically removed Rohingya men from detention facilities in Thailand and sold them to smugglers and brokers; these smugglers and brokers allegedly transported the men to southern Thailand where some were forced to work as cooks and guards in camps, or were sold into forced labor on farms or in shipping companies.''
The Royal Thai Navy's unprecedented military versus media law suit against Phuketwan journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian was referenced in the TIP report not once, but three times.
The hollowness of Thailand's previous efforts to target traffickers is spelled out succinctly in a couple of sentences:
''Government labor inspections of 40,963 worksites did not result in the identification of any suspected cases of labor trafficking. The Marine Police and the Thai navy did not uncover any suspected cases of trafficking during ownership and registration inspections of 10,427 vessels.''
Judging by the comments of Thailand's coup commander, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, in his weekly televised commentary last night, the treatment of migrant workers and Rohingya refugees is likely to be made a priority over the next few weeks.
Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed after the downgrade that Thailand remains ''committed to combating human trafficking because the issue remains a national priority and human trafficking is anathema to our nation's core values.''
The NCPO gives ''utmost importance and support to integrated efforts against human trafficking,'' said a media release.
''Indeed, Thailand's effort is not a reaction to the TIP Report or any particular country, but is the reflection of the country's firm commitment and respect to human rights, internationally accepted standards, and humanitarian values.
''Moreover, Thailand views the need to address human trafficking immediately as it is a scourge on mankind.''
Why does Thailand always have to be coerced into meaningful action? It is best summed up by your 'The hollowness of Thailand's previous efforts'. It's always 'stick & carrot' with Thailand.
Posted by Logic on June 22, 2014 01:25