webfact Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Human trafficking gangs 'reaching out to new groups'Somchai SamartThe NationLatest batch of refugees from Turkey or western China shows Songkhla is a key staging point.BANGKOK: -- SOME 200 refugees - possibly Turkish or Uighurs from western China - are expected to be held in the far South for one to two months while authorities clarify their nationality and whether they should be deported.Thai authorities, meanwhile, say Songkhla is on a major human trafficking route due to its location on the southern border.Pol Maj-General Thatchai Pitanee-laboot, commander of the Immigration Bureau's Division 6, oversees 14 provinces in the south. In a recent interview with The Nation, he said that United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representatives had helped cater for the basic needs of refugees discovered at a secret camp in Rattaphum in Songkhla last Wednes-day. The UNHCR was satisfied with the Social Development and Human Security Ministry's treatment of refugees, which observed human-rights principles.The latest batch of refugees of Turkish appearance might be a "new product", as the gangs expand to deliver more groups via their "transport services" to gain more income and strengthen their network. They reportedly expect more refugees coming through in the future, such as Bangladeshis.Victims 'travelled voluntarily'An initial key obstacle to state officials' efforts to suppress human trafficking was that the victims travelled here voluntarily, at least until some gangs they had dealt with turned to extortion and rights violations, which caused some migrants to flee.Holding areas for people brought to Songkhla are allegedly run by locals in places such as Padang Besar in Sadao and Rattaphum district. Each migrant pays about Bt60,000 for expenses.According to an ongoing investigation, many people appear to be involved in the transport of people from their country to destination countries, and some may be Thai officials.The authorities have not let local communities know about the probe because of fears that some people may alert the gangs in exchange for money or other benefits. The Rattaphum case, for example, reportedly saw the gang hiring locals to transport the refugees for Bt4,000 a trip, while others renting land for the camp received Bt3,000 per head. Some locals also earned extra by selling food to the refugees.If there was no conflict among these people, it would have been hard to get cooperation. But the March 12 raid stemmed from investigations and work to gain the help of local communities about people trafficking.Cracking down on trafficking would not be difficult if state officials were brave, as there are only a few gangs in the 14 southern provinces.The authorities focused their operation on tackling individuals who provide shelter, because these locations gave the gangs power to bargain to get more money from the refugees' relatives. They also want to arrest the leaders of the human trafficking gangs.Songkhla Immigration Police have captured some 1,000 illegal migrants passing through to a third country since early this year and Thatchai's office has already experienced financial hardship coping with the food costs.And according to a senior immigration police officer in Malaysia's Kedah state, Malaysia is also now detaining some 1,000 Rohingya refugees who had travelled through Thailand, he added.-- The Nation 2014-03-19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post noitom Posted March 19, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2014 This whole story points out the despicable human trafficking nightmare in Thailand. From embedded gang networks in Songhkla to secrecy in reporting and police work so as not to encourage payoffs from gangs for silence. Thailand is a cesspool of human trafficking and it's time for international boycotts of all Thai products. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianP Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 It seems Thailand's southern borders are not unlike the USA's. Thank goodness they have no perks here to start the stampede that plagues America. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Mamma Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 It seems Thailand's southern borders are not unlike the USA's. Thank goodness they have no perks here to start the stampede that plagues America. They couldn't make a better inspiration for having many babies subsidized and free and clear, courtesy UNCLE SAM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belg Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 well, thailand is really a hub for some dark & sinister trades... humans, drugs, prostitution, endagered species, ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razer Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Good to see something has been done but as long as there is complicity between government officials, the military and the police, nothing will change ... nothing can change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 So So Sad, 2014 and this kind of thing goes on... Some people like myself, don't know we are living.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seastallion Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 "The authorities have not let local communities know about the probe because of fears that some people may alert the gangs in exchange for money or other benefits." Yeah, just do an interview with a newspaper that in turn promulgates the story on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yunla Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Victims 'travelled voluntarily' But in most cases they were promised higher wages and better lifestyles, promises which evaporate like faerie gold when the victims reach their destination. Technology and especially the internet truly reach their empyreal pinnacle in the field of tracking and exposing this evil trade in human souls, a trade which has most likely existed since the dawn of humanity, but has only recently had its filthy underbelly exposed thanks to the availability of cameras and the web. Now it is up to the people with the real money and power to start using this tech-based evidence to uproot the whole rotten tree, roots and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tetleythedog Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> This whole story points out the despicable human trafficking nightmare in Thailand. From embedded gang networks in Songhkla to secrecy in reporting and police work so as not to encourage payoffs from gangs for silence. Thailand is a cesspool of human trafficking and it's time for international boycotts of all Thai products. It was always said in the UK that a good policeman "knows his patch" ..........................so why don't the local cops there know theirs? Answers itself doesn't it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Latest batch of refugees from Turkey or western China... Nation journasslism at its best! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) double posting Edited March 20, 2014 by Naam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Latest batch of refugees from Turkey or western China... Nation journasslism at its best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon from yasothon Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 "Some might be Thai officials" You think????????? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacnl2000 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Victims 'travelled voluntarily' Trade winds ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernjohn Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I can in no way condone this human trafficking. I was under the impression that the states were putting pressure on Thailand to put an end to it. I haven't heard of any thing in that department other than people saying there is Army officers involved in it. On another note what is the problem with feeding them. Thailand does not lack rice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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