ID :
357755
Thu, 02/19/2015 - 06:36
Auther :

Thailand disappointed with rights group’s human trafficking report

BANGKOK, February 19 (TNA) - The Thai government has expressed its disappointment over a report by a UK rights group that says the country has made inadequate progress in efforts to eliminate human trafficking over the year. Sek Wannamethee, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday expressed the disappointment with the report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). He said the foundation ignores Thailand's serious efforts to suppress and prevent human trafficking. The Broken Promises, recently released by the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), says that Thailand has not sufficiently improved efforts to fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and recommends that Thailand should remain Tier 3 Watch List of the US Trafficking In Person (TIP) Report in 2015. The briefing paper reviews progress made by the Thai government to prevent and suppress human trafficking in the fishing industry. Thailand was downgraded to the lowest level in the TIP report in June 2014. Sek said the EJF report offends Thailand and turns a blind eye to positive development in human trafficking prevention and suppression. In 2014, the Labour Ministry took legal actions against 156 job brokerage firms that violated the labour law and 107 other firms would face similar actions, the spokesperson cited. Also in 2014, efforts were carried out by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to systematically identify trafficking victims, he said. In 2015, the Labour Ministry and the Department of Fisheries also set up 28 checkpoints in 22 coastal provinces to inspect workers on fishing vessels, he added. "The Thai government has increased clear and strict measures to eliminate corruption and involvement of public officials in trafficking. The government has also placed efforts to solve solution to human trafficking as an urgent national agenda. Budgets and personnel have been employed to revamp the whole system of human trafficking solution. Relevant organizations are working hard to produce concrete results," Sek said. (TNA)

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