Crackdown On Human Trafficking, Prostitution

Govt forges ahead with human trafficking legislation

BANGKOK: -- The government yesterday demonstrated its commitment to combating human trafficking by announcing that it was preparing a comprehensive draft human trafficking prevention bill for submission to the next roving cabinet meeting in mid-June.

Speaking yesterday to reporters after a two-hour session of the human trafficking prevention and suppression committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, Mr. Jakrapob Penkair, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, announced that the committee had agreed to accelerate the passage of the legislation, which will go before the cabinet when it meets in the country's northern province of Phayao on 13-14 June.

Although previous legislation has addressed human trafficking, including the 1996 Prostitution Suppression and Prevention Act and the Children and Women Trafficking Prevention and Suppression Act, these have not addressed all forms of human trafficking, which the new law sets out to do.

The new legislation is said to be more modern than existing laws, while also ensuring that human traffickers undergo tougher penalties.

Yesterday’s meeting also called on government agencies to boost the effectiveness of tools designed to counter human trafficking, with each agency producing its own operations manual and working in conjunction with other agencies.

Under the committee’s plans, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security will house a central human trafficking prevention and suppression centre, while at a regional level, provincial governors will be expected to take on a similar position.

In addition, foreign diplomats will be asked to act as centres against human trafficking abroad.

The government has recently earmarked Bt100 million from the sale of special government lottery tickets to help the victims of human trafficking, and the government is also working to combat trafficking in neighbouring countries, with an agreement already signed with the Laotian government and further deals with Myanmar and Cambodia in the pipeline.

--TNA 2005-05-26