Thailand upset by human trafficking Watch List

[1020]

I thought they admitted that authorities and government employees were trafficking the Rohingya 'refugees' that they caught and selling them onto Malaysian Human Traffickers for quite a tidy sum.

[PoodMaiDai]

The same day as this report, a Thai policeman is charged with trafficking...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/649814-thai-policeman-charged-over-rohingya-refugee-assault/

This is why it won't be stopped, because too many police, military and gov officials are involved and profit from it. And it's the same all over the world.

[unanimosity]

Never admit anything, always image or somebody else is at fault!

Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.

[Suffinator]

Upset maybe... surprised? I doubt that very much. http://meebal.com/us-government-urging-thailand-to-stamp-out-slavery-at-sea/

[BrianCR]

I am an American but I find my government's ongoing Human Rights, Human Trafficking, etc., etc., a bit tiresome. We have a few things in the US that we need to resolve before we lecture others. Far more persuasive to lead by example.

This is tied to trade. If you want to sell product to the USA, make sure that that given industry doesn't use illegal or forced labour. I don't think that is an unfair request do you?

http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/labor-trafficking-in-the-us/agriculture-a-farms

I understand your position. I personally favor more libertarian solutions. A free press to inform the citizenry and a public that demonstrates its committment to Human Rights and boycots products produced by slave labor.

Again, better to lead/influence by example.

so everyones guna stop eating fish in thailand and no country going to import thai fish because of slavery on boats,,,i dont think so,im not having a dig at the above poster,,its a f******d up world we live in,as long as WE can do our little bit to have the moral highground maybe its a start,i know i sleep well at night ,,,,,

The moral high ground? Frankly mate, if the Thai fishing industry isn't cleaned up soon every western country and economic zone will put embargoes or extra high tariffs on the finished products making importers import from other countries and as far as I'm concerned it can't be done soon enough! This also goes in other countries for coffee, coco and slave labour products. How about putting a few westerners on the fishing boats and see how they feel after, they'd never eat fish again not even in a MacDonalds burger!

[Trentham]

A couple of weeks ago the Australian Broadcasting Commission Television [ABC] reported that the Thai navy captures and sells Rohingas into slavery. It was a very credible news presentation with footage and interviews with Rohingas who had escaped the captivity.

[Thai at Heart]

Amazing, they have achieved absolutely nothing tangible, and they want to be upgraded.

"We made a plan" after 3 years of being asked, and that is supposedly enough to get you upgraded? What planet are these numpties living on? Just wait until the plan fails to be implemented, and they get downgraded and agribusiness exports get blocked.

Now that will really get their attention.

Tier 3 status does not include trade sanctions

Level 4 does though. They only didn't drop onto level 4 because of their wonderful written plan.

Thailand is currently on the Tier 2 watch listing & has been for three years. Should Thailand not comply to their obligations and goals set by the US State Department by 2014, it is likely it will be downgraded to Tier 3. Tier 4 does not exist, for the various tiers and penalties established by the US State department go to: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2012/192352.htm

Tier 3, my apologies can bring selective trade restrictions, no? Seafood for example?

[hansnl]

Thailand will regularly report to the United States, Why? Since when has the U.S been in charge and who made them the governor? Wouldn't they be better reporting to an independent body like the U.N?

The UN and it's affiliates, commissions & all INDEPENDENT???????

[simple1]

Thailand is currently on the Tier 2 watch listing & has been for three years. Should Thailand not comply to their obligations and goals set by the US State Department by 2014, it is likely it will be downgraded to Tier 3. Tier 4 does not exist, for the various tiers and penalties established by the US State department go to: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2012/192352.htm

Tier 3, my apologies can bring selective trade restrictions, no? Seafood for example?

My understanding is that tier 3 status sanctions do not include a ban on trade. However, if the US were sufficiently annoyed with lack of progress I'm sure selective trade bans could be enacted by Congress (?)

[johnlandy]

I find it very interesting how the USA can talk about Human trafficking, with millions of humans being trafficked into the USA every year. There is no mention about the forced prostituting of young girls, the slave labor on farms in Hawaii, the slave labor of Vietnamese being used in American Samoa.

People in glass houses should not throw stones.

And if the cap fits "wear it"

[lee b]

Its very sad but this business has become to large to stop

[spidermike007]

What about the thai fishing industry? Is that not the greatest evidence there is, why Thailand deserves third tier status? These international studies strip Thailand bare, and it sits naked and exposed before world opinion. Nobody likes being naked before a crowd, especially thenThai apologists in office.

Mike Macarelli

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[belg]

as long as most of construction workers are illegal myanmar working to build "our" houses substandard to be sold at a high market price, than thailand can remain on the list

and i forget all the slaves on the ships, households, factories, etc...

[Thereisnoif]

The truth hurts.

[Lancelot]

I am an American but I find my government's ongoing Human Rights, Human Trafficking, etc., etc., a bit tiresome. We have a few things in the US that we need to resolve before we lecture others. Far more persuasive to lead by example.

Imagine a tiny man like Bama leading by example? No, why? Because there is no example. Refusal to close Guantanamo? No. How about following up on his promise to stop extraordinary rendition. No. How about his promise to support green energy. No. Need I go on? You cannot set the example, when there is no example to set.

And you Sir are way off topic. Your post is making this about President Obama. My post was for the American people to be informed and boycot products produced by slave labor. Instead of placing placing Thailand on a list, refuse to buy her products produced by unfair means.People of every nation can participate in that endeavor.

[Thai at Heart]

I am an American but I find my government's ongoing Human Rights, Human Trafficking, etc., etc., a bit tiresome. We have a few things in the US that we need to resolve before we lecture others. Far more persuasive to lead by example.

Imagine a tiny man like Bama leading by example? No, why? Because there is no example. Refusal to close Guantanamo? No. How about following up on his promise to stop extraordinary rendition. No. How about his promise to support green energy. No. Need I go on? You cannot set the example, when there is no example to set.

And you Sir are way off topic. Your post is making this about President Obama. My post was for the American people to be informed and boycot products produced by slave labor. Instead of placing placing Thailand on a list, refuse to buy her products produced by unfair means.People of every nation can participate in that endeavor.

The consumer has to be educated about where and how his purchase is produced.

However, of Walmart instituted a proven non exploitative brand that would be amazing. Problem is, would that include their own employees?

[SOTIRIOS]

...no feelings for the thousands of lives ruined.....

...just upset at being exposed as a lawless, immoral participant in such a heinous act....

[Tonyrichard]

Whether it's human trafficking or copyright infringement or ______________, Thais spend all their energy fretting about being on such lists, and almost no energy actually cleaning up their dirty laundry.

What dirty laundry? This is normal life in Thailand. Heirs to fortune out and about after killing a police officer; motorcycles on the sidewalks endangering the lives of pedestrians; 3 and 4 people on a scooter without helmets and going the wrong way. Trash thrown in every corner, bags full of trash piled on the sidewalks that the soi dogs later shred. Soi dogs rampant all over the cities, littering: a clear sign of urban decay. Double standards to price and/or "protect" foreigners... etc., etc., etc. TIT nothing is wrong here except that Farang can't understand Thainess

Excellent posts, Pisico and Phetaroi - I agree with you 100%. Turning a blind eye to rank illegality is the Thai way - witness (as Pisico has) the ubiquitous and dangerous pavement-riding motorbikes in Bangkok, where the police do nothing about this reckless practice, and indeed drive along the pavements themselves! From this (and two-year-olds perched precariously on motorbikes) to ignoring human trafficking is all part of the same immoral continuum.

[Sunisalom]

At last, the Nation has reported on this issue.

The US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2013 is here: http://www.state.gov.../2013/index.htm

It makes for sobering reading.

The case of the little Karen girl is highlighted as is the horrendously insensitive treatment of her by the so-called authorities.

...in one severe case, in which a female child belonging to an ethnic minority was kidnapped, abused, and enslaved over the course of fve years, a judge’s misguided decision to grant bail allowed the suspected offenders to fee and escape prosecution.

and later.

'The government did not ensure that child victims’ rights were protected; in a highly-publicized case of a 12-year-old Karen girl who had been enslaved in a Thai couple’s home for five years, police offcials allowed media outlets to publish the girl’s name and take semi-nude photos of her while in police custody.'

Needless to say,and in general, the report states, 'In addition to the well known corruption of local-level police officers, there were also protective relationships between central-level specialist police offcers and the trafficking hot-spot regions to which they were assigned. Thai police offcers and immigration offcials reportedly extorted money or sex from Burmese citizens detained in Thailand for immigration and sold Burmese migrants unable to pay labor brokers and sex traffickers.'

The report is also very critical of the government's poor record on arrest and conviction.

Overall, Thailand has been placed on Tier 2, but will be automatically downgraded to Tier 3 next year if things do not tangibly improve.

I agree with your posting however, it is just the tip of the iceberg - hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked in the most hideous of ways especially, the Burmese who are brought into Thailand illegally by officials and big business and treated like virtual slaves on fishing boats and in the processing of seafood. Nothing is done with regard to this in order to protect the mega bucks earned from the industry. One Japanese or Singaporean takes a Thai prostitute to their own country to carryout her profession and only after she gets caught (and of course complains that she thought she was going to be managing director of a large company)is the foreigner arrested and met with large media headlines and stiff sentencing.

Thousands of Thais' are trafficking people daily both for sex and for work and yet nothing is ever done, except to devise a "cunning plan" which is never implemented! Thailand has been placed on Tier 2 by the west, in my humble opinion it should be scrutinized on a daily basis!!!

hundreds of thousands? You have prof?

Sunisa.

[Emdog]

"the government has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts " And we know what sort of follow up will happen. My understanding is if money is being made in any enterprise here, especially the quasi or illegal ones, police and government get their cuts. Appearance is all, reality: what a concept!

[Baerboxer]

Thailand will regularly report to the United States, Why? Since when has the U.S been in charge and who made them the governor? Wouldn't they be better reporting to an independent body like the U.N?

The UN is one of the most ineffective organizations going. Lots of talk, little action and has its own corruption issues to worry about. Just look at anything they're involved with.

The US, like all countries, are free to make rules on who the will and won't do business with. Most Western businesses have CSR and Ethical criteria which suppliers must meet. The US government, runs like any other business, and has similar criteria. If you don't wan to play ball, play by their rules, you're out of their game. Choice is yours.

Thailand is free to ignore what the US says, but the US is also free to deal with who they want to, and to share information and influence with other like minded nations.

[BeforeTigers]

I find it very interesting how the USA can talk about Human trafficking, with millions of humans being trafficked into the USA every year. There is no mention about the forced prostituting of young girls, the slave labor on farms in Hawaii, the slave labor of Vietnamese being used in American Samoa.

People in glass houses should not throw stones.

Cite your source for that "millions" statistic.

It's irresponsible and intellectually lazy to invent statistics.

Comparing isolated cases of exploitation in the US to systematic trafficking that goes on in SEA is just ridiculous.

The US government has plenty of s----y qualities, but tolerance for trafficking is not one of them.

People with Google at their fingertips should not throw out imaginary statistics.

Edited June 28, 2013 by BeforeTigers

[arthurboy]

Squabbling over which country does what and to who is irrelevant. The moral high ground belongs to no one on this issue.

Human trafficking is wrong. Full stop.

Stop it. Now.

So, what measures would TV posters suggest?

Let's start by looking at what we would do if we suspected someone was the victim of human trafficking, or we thought someone was involved in this crime.

Edited June 28, 2013 by arthurboy

[slipperylobster]

I find it very interesting how the USA can talk about Human trafficking, with millions of humans being trafficked into the USA every year. There is no mention about the forced prostituting of young girls, the slave labor on farms in Hawaii, the slave labor of Vietnamese being used in American Samoa.

People in glass houses should not throw stones.

And if the cap fits "wear it"

It's the Nature of the Beast...is it not?

[Bagwan]

I find it very interesting how the USA can talk about Human trafficking, with millions of humans being trafficked into the USA every year. There is no mention about the forced prostituting of young girls, the slave labor on farms in Hawaii, the slave labor of Vietnamese being used in American Samoa.

People in glass houses should not throw stones.

I'm just wondering who gave the US the right to judge what goes on outside it's borders. My attitude if I were the prime influence/decision maker in another country would be to tell the US to mind it's own business. It has more than enough problems of it's own. Sorting out it's foreign policy should engage them for a decade or so. Human trafficking is a Worldwide problem and I should prefer it to fall under the aegis of a UN entity - with real teeth..

[oldsailor35]

Goals to be implemented by 2014 ! but they have already had 3 years to conform. How about a quarterly report, because nothing will be done for another ten months if they are not checked on.

[oldsailor35]

A couple of weeks ago the Australian Broadcasting Commission Television [ABC] reported that the Thai navy captures and sells Rohingas into slavery. It was a very credible news presentation with footage and interviews with Rohingas who had escaped the captivity.

So, can you now tell us what the RTN or its government has done about it !

[Bagwan]

Saying that you’re offended is only a statement that has any worth to you. It is in no way, shape or form a good argument or way of thinking to point out why something is wrong. You being offended is your own responsibility and it doesn’t do any good in an argument when you want to educate someone else on why you don’t agree with their viewpoint or comment.

Saying that you’re offended to shut others up is the equivalent of a small child crying when their mom wont buy them that toy they wanted. Why do they want it so bad? Who knows. Why is it emotionally that important to them? Who knows. All you know is that the kid is crying which is essentially meaningless when it comes to reasoning other than that it can be used as a tool to get someone to feel sorry for you.

If you don’t agree with something and voice it by saying that you’re offended I will give that no value. Come up with a objective reason on why something is wrong, not a personal emotion that you apparently have no control over and want the world to adjust to.

Thailand is offended. So what? Why doesn't Thailand harness it's efforts to, as much as reasonably possible, NOT give offence?

Edited June 28, 2013 by metisdead
Profanity

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[simple1]

Thankfully the US State Department is one of the few globally influencial organisations constantly bringing the issue of human trafficking to front of mind. One of those efforts is obviously focussing on and applying pressure on the Thai government. The downside is that the State Departments Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons has has it's budget cut by 25%.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2080202,00.html#ixzz2XWRAg7IK

Edited June 28, 2013 by simple1