BANGKOK, 27 July 2015 – The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reacted to the United States’ decision to keep Thailand in the Tier 3 Watch List on human trafficking for another year, affirming that the Kingdom has been making huge progress in eradicating the problem.
The US has released its 2015 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, in which Thailand is maintained in the Tier 3 Watch List for the second consecutive year after its downgrade from Tier 2 last year. In response, Mr Sek Wannamethee, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cited the latest report as an inaccurate reflection of Thailand’s efforts and achievements in its combat against human trafficking over the past year.
The Spokesman insisted that, since the incumbent government came into office, the anti-human trafficking mechanism has been completely revamped, resulting in concrete improvements in many aspects. Policy-wise, he said the problem has been included in the national agenda while a number of related laws and regulations have been amended.
Law enforcement has also been intensified, leading to the arrest and prosecution of many culprits, one of whom is a senior army officer. Meanwhile, over 1.6 million foreign workers have been properly registered in a bid to prevent them from falling prey to human traffickers while cooperation has been established both bilaterally and multilaterally with neighboring countries in order to rid the region of trafficking activities.
Although Thailand will continue to be in the bottom tier for one more year, Mr Sek was adamant the country will remain determined and devoted to putting an end to the problem of human trafficking.
