Minister:US officially upgrades Thailand to Tier 2

BANGKOK, July 1 (TNA) - Social Development and Human Security Minister Police General Adul Saengsingkaew confirms that the United States has already upgraded Thailand to the Tier 2 watch list in its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2016, officially released on June 30, after having ranked the country in its Tier 3 lowest category since mid-2014. Police General Adul told journalists that the US State Department released the TIP Report 2016 on Thursday morning (local time), but Thursday night (around 8pm, Thailand's time), in which Thailand is now on the Tier 2 watch list, reasoning that the Thai government has been determined and fully attempted to resolve human trafficking issues and prevent new cases. Police General Adul quoted the latest TIP Report as saying that the US government took three dimensions into consideration, including legal actions and prosecution, the protection of victims and the prevention of new human trafficking cases. According to the minister, the TIP Report 2016 indicated that the Thai government has revised laws to impose tougher legal punishment against those found involving in human trafficking cases, intensified law enforcement with rising prosecution rates, compared with those two years ago, enhanced potential of operational officials tasked with anti-human trafficking, as well as continually trained officials concerned and interpreters in charge of screening and protecting victims, most of whom are migrant workers from neighbouring countries, allocated state budgets to fund the proper management of migrant workers and public campaigns through media channels to prevent new human trafficking cases, along with imposing strict measures to control migration of people of risk groups, setting up a command centre for solutions to illegal fishing and promulgating the Royal Decree on Fishery 2015 to deal with all forms of malpractice in local fishery and seafood businesses. Hailing Washington's latest move, the Thai minister vowed that his ministry will continue prioritising solutions to human trafficking issues, taking human rights and dignity and equity into account, and working together with all sectors and the international community to resolve human trafficking-related-problems based on the international 5Ps criterial standards, namely policy, prosecution, protection, prevention and partnership. (TNA)