Authority:No human trafficking problem in Thailand

BANGKOK, June 21 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce has asked its office in Washington D.C. to urgently inform the US government and private business operators that there is no human trafficking problem in Thailand. Thai Permanent Secretary for Commerce Srirat Rastapana told journalists on Saturday that she has instructed the office in Washington to cooperate with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other concerned agencies to clarify the issue to the US government, retailers and importers. The move followed Washington's downgrading Thailand from Tier 2 to Tier 3 in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, released by the US State Department on Friday (local time). US President Barack Obama subsequently has 90 days to determine whether he will apply sanctions against Tier 3 countries, including Malaysia and 21 others. Srirat stressed that the explanation needs to be made urgently in order to prevent negative impact on Thai trade with foreign countries, noting that a US largest seafood importing association, called NFI, has, in the meantime, issued a statement that it will continue to trade with Thailand. Over a worry that Washington might suspend its generalised system of preferences (GSP) granted to Thai products, the senior Thai official acknowledged that the GSP will not be affected because under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000, the GSP cannot be suspended by the US government. The senior Thai official cautioned, however, that Washington could suspend aid, which is unrelated to humanitarian and trade to Thailand, under the Act. (TNA)