Thailand in US human trafficking watchlist

BANGKOK: -- The United States has put Thailand on a human trafficking watchlist for its failure to make progress in stamping out the global scourge, the US embassy said Wednesday citing a State Department report.

Washington's Trafficking in Persons report, which analyses efforts to combat the trade in 140 countries, downgraded Thailand to the "Tier Two watchlist" over its poor treatment of street children trafficked from Cambodia.

It joins other Southeast Asian nations placed on the watchlist including Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam, while neighbouring Myanmar remains at Tier Three, the lowest level.

The watchlist is a new category added to the system for weak Tier Two countries in danger of slipping to Tier Three, the level which permits the US government to impose non-trade-related economic sanctions on the country.

"Thailand was placed on the list for one very specific reason: the government did not make progress over the past year over extending protection to Cambodian street children who beg or sell in urban areas," a US embassy official told AFP.

Thailand's setbacks were of particular concern as it signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia last year to help regularise the protection and repatriation of trafficking victims, he said.

The report released Monday pointed to two instances in the past year in which large numbers of Cambodian youths were rounded up and deported "without proper screening for trafficking victims or referral to shelters for those identified," he said.

--AFP 2004-06-17

which analyses efforts to combat the trade in 140 countries,

So, how exactly do we combat it?

By saying it is not good?

It is not fair?

It isn't and we all hate it.

What do we do?

Put your country on a list.

1 tier, 2 tier, 3 tier,...

Jeez, we're so good, we're scaring ourselves,...

So what's your solution?

Mr Vietnam