Thailand remains on Tier 2 of US TIP report

BANGKOK, June 28 (TNA) - Thailand would continue to tackle human trafficking problems, said Social Development and Human Security Minister Pol General Adul Saengsingkaew after the country remains on Tier 2 on the watch list of the US State Department's 2017 Trafficking in Person or TIP. The TIP report, released on Tuesday, said Thailand does not fully meet the standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. This year, Thailand’s prosecution of human trafficking cases increased to 333 cases from 317 cases of last year. Meanwhile, the Anti-Money Laundering Office seized more than 790 million baht from human trafficking-related cases, higher from 280 million baht last year. Last year, 35 state officials were prosecuted and legal action were taken against additional 10 state officials this year. This year, the number of the victims under the protection of the authorities increased to 561 persons from 471 persons last year. Pol Gen Adul said the US’s TIP report suggested 11 proposals for Thailand such as improvement of investigation and prosecution against state officials as well as properly screening and identifying victims of human trafficking when they detain criminal suspects. He said one proposal, which is the responsibility of the ministry, is encouraging the victims to cooperate with the officials in investigation and giving them options to receive protection from the state agencies or private organization. No matter what Thailand’s ranking is in the TIP report, the country is determined to continue to do its best to fight human trafficking and protect the victims, he said. (TNA)