Thailand prepares progress report on TIP

BANGKOK, February 11 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, is working out a progress report on trafficking in persons (TIP) for the first quarter of this year to be submitted to the United States in early April. Social Development and Human Security Minister General Anantaporn Kanjanarat told journalists of the update on Monday, after chairing a meeting of an adhoc sub-committee on monitoring and overseeing actions on the prevention and the crackdown against human trafficking cases in Thailand for 2018-2019, the seventh of its kind. "The adhoc sub-committee is drafting Thailand's Progress Tip Report for the January-March 2019 period, in which the Kingdom's additional actions and results on the human trafficking issue are being gathered and included to be submitted to the United States by April 5", General Anantaporn said. The minister stated that Monday's meeting of the adhoc sub-committee discussed Thailand's progress on the issue in three main areas, including prosecution cases, the protection of victims and the prevention of human trafficking-related cases. According to the minister,Thailand's Progress TIP Report for the first quarter of this year will also include a draft bill against forced labors and money laundering related to human trafficking, as well as the introduction of an application on smart phones to be accessible to victims of human trafficking for providing their tip-offs and filing their complaints and the more efficient performance on the official screening and management of migrant workers. The minister acknowledged Thailand's progress on reduced human trafficking-related cases and less time consuming in the prosecution and assistance of more victims in accordance with Washington's 11 proposals. The minister expressed his hope that Thailand's status in Washington's TIP Report 2019, to be issued later this year, should, thus, be improved or at least maintained at the current Tier 2 category. The US State Department first put Thailand in the lowest Tier 3 category in its TIP Report in mid-2014, before upgrading the Thai Kingdom's status to the current Tier 2 watch list category two years ago. Meanwhile, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already sent the country's TIP Report 2018 in English to the US Embassy in Bangkok since January 2019. (TNA)