Thailand braces for US verdict on human trafficking record

[webfact]

TIP REPORT
Thailand braces for US verdict on human trafficking record
Thiranat Sucharikul
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND is holding its breath as it waits to hear if the United States will downgrade or praise the nation for its human-trafficking record.

Officials at the foreign ministry are confident that Thailand would maintain its status quo in the Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report to be released late this week.

Thailand has been listed on a Tier 2 Watch List of the TIP report for the past four years, meaning it risks a downgrade for its human-trafficking practices, notably involving the Rohingya boat people in the year gone by.

The US had earlier questioned the involvement of Thai officials in the trafficking of persons.

"We still don't know whether the US will upgrade or downgrade us," said the Foreign Ministry's director-general of American and South Pacific Affairs, Songsak Saicheua.

"We are prepared for both scenarios; whatever tier they put us in, we will still continue with our future work and key action plans.

"We will also plan ahead to make more efforts," he said at a press briefing on Monday.

The downgrade would likely trigger sanctions against Thailand, which could include the withholding or withdrawal of US non-humanitarian and non-trade-related assistance.

Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow met yesterday with US Ambassador Kristie Kenney to discuss the matter, insisting that Thailand had made progress on law enforcement in handling the human trafficking. Of 400 cases involved, more than 200 had been prosecuted, Sihasak said.

Thailand has engaged with US officials and concerned agencies, including the private sector, to update them on the human trafficking prevention in the country.

Thailand submitted 12 reports last year, an interim assessment in November and the completed assessment in March, illustrating what has been accomplished in the past five years and what they aimed to do as 'future work', Songsak said.

The ministry had met with its US counterpart, the Ministry of Labor, as well as Senators John McCain and Benjamin Cardin to discuss the issues, he said.

"Christopher Smith, chairman of the Global Human Rights subcommittee of the US House of Representatives seemed very satisfied with our explanation in all areas," Songsak said.

"We explained there were concrete measures and legal implementations taking place," he said.

Thailand has pursued a national strategy on the "5P" approaches to deal with trafficking issues.

They are: Prosecution and Law Enforcement, Protection and Recovery, Prevention, Policy and Mechanism to drive the policy,and Partnership, according to a press statement.

Songsak added that all sectors - both public and private - together with NGOs were confident about Thailand's improvement in all five areas. Stricter juridical measures and punishment have been enforced.

"We are confident because there has been increased integration in all areas. Thailand also remains in contact with the United States on a weekly basis.

"In terms of policies, videoconferences have been consistently conducted." Songsak said.


-- The Nation 2014-06-18

[Thai at Heart]

Don't they wish they hadn't been flag waving about how biased the US ambassador had been. I bet CP has a contract out on Michael Yon right now.

If they don't get downgraded, it will be a sham.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[TimCM]

I hope they do get downgraded and hit with sanctions as it will be the only way that this disgusting trade will ever be tackled.

[jaltsc]

"THAILAND is holding its breath..."

Instead of holding its breath, they should hold those accountable for this crime against humanity and punish them appropriately.

[Somtamnication]

Two jokes here. First, is cow-towing to the Merkin's and second, how serious they are tackling human trafficking and slavery in the seas. Monty Phython anyone?

[Tokay]

Meanwhile, Burmese fishermen are bought and sold by Thai boat owners and slave traders.

Thais are honestly living in a fantasy land thinking / saying it is getting better. Shame on the USA if they don't downgrade them and sanction the living hell out of them. As it was stated above, there is no other way to try to stop this horrible practice.

[Chao Lao Beach]

What about the domestic trade, of parents selling thier young daughters to older men that the cops just put their head in the sand.

[noitom]

Rohingya, Thai shrimp slave labor, sex trafficking, child labor, massive exodus of "illegal" Cambodians, military dictatorship, no arrests, no trials, no prosecutions, pickup truckloads of migrant workers, payoffs and poaching land in the north, no news follow up, over 6,000 killings for ten years in the south. Everything augurs well for Thais. They are "holding their breath," but doing nothing else.

[chainarong]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Meanwhile, Burmese fishermen are bought and sold by Thai boat owners and slave traders.

Thais are honestly living in a fantasy land thinking / saying it is getting better. Shame on the USA if they don't downgrade them and sanction the living hell out of them. As it was stated above, there is no other way to try to stop this horrible practice.

If the US and other western nations (the US is not alone ) need to introduce sanctions, they have two good reasons (according to them), military controlled country and people trafficking, two issues that the west is vehemently against, lets see the real money fella's.

[aussieinthailand]

Hmmm, Thai's admitting there is a problem, then admitting they need to do something about it, Then actually doing something, Then prosecuting the Heads of the slave traders not just the fall guy's. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.

Wasn't it Suthep that said just falang, stupid bastards and have no respect for falangs, and should shut up.

lucky he's not the self installed "Sovereign body" and could have executed anyone, as was his stated wish, and some here on TV, or maybe he would be telling the US and the human watch groups just where to stick their P*SS WEAK "non humanitarian and non trade -related assistance".

[Lancelot]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Meanwhile, Burmese fishermen are bought and sold by Thai boat owners and slave traders.

Thais are honestly living in a fantasy land thinking / saying it is getting better. Shame on the USA if they don't downgrade them and sanction the living hell out of them. As it was stated above, there is no other way to try to stop this horrible practice.

If the US and other western nations (the US is not alone ) need to introduce sanctions, they have two good reasons (according to them), military controlled country and people trafficking, two issues that the west is vehemently against, lets see the real money fella's.

The European Union has a greater combined population that the US- and therefore consumer power. Will the EU take a stand and impose sanctions? And the Chinese trump both the US and EU combined, in terms of population. How about the Chinese stepping up to the plate as well?

[hanuman2543]

"Thailand submitted 12 reports last year, an interim assessment in November and the completed assessment in March, illustrating what has been accomplished in the past five years and what they aimed to do as 'future work', Songsak said."

What was written in the reports and assessments? The usual blabla I assume and it was only the usual production of meaningless mountains of paper to bury the uncomfortable truth. What action did they took in the last 12 month to stop this humanitarian nightmare? They tried to shut up people who tried to publicize the ongoing, massive abuse of foreign workers. See the case of the British activist and the juice company in Prachuap Kiri Khan (which is owned by a brother of a MP from the Democrats), or the lawsuit of the Navy against Reuters and the 2 journalists on Pukhet. Does this looks like seriously tackling the problem? For me it looks more like a big cover up and I really hope the USA is showing some balls here, despite wanting a base in U-Tapao.

Edited June 18, 2014 by hanuman2543

[EyesWideOpen]

What about the domestic trade, of parents selling thier young daughters to older men that the cops just put their head in the sand.

I agree, and think the USA should pressure Thailand into stopping the practice

of sin sod.....

But back to topic, what is fairly pathetic about Thailand and human trafficking

is that not only does it occur on a wide spread basis, but even more amazing

is that officials are involved in it. The article notes this, and I suspect that

the USA state department is fully aware of that. And yeah, unless financial

pressure is applied, this abhorrent practice will not be stopped.

[kamahele]

If I had any money, I would bet that the US will not downgrade Thailand. They will report that Thailand is improving (however slowly) but more progress needs to be made. They will criticize but let Thailand save a little face at the same time.

[hanuman2543]

If I had any money, I would bet that the US will not downgrade Thailand. They will report that Thailand is improving (however slowly) but more progress needs to be made. They will criticize but let Thailand save a little face at the same time.

I am really sorry to admit that I believe that exactly this will happen. Sorry that Thailand has no oil.

[pisico]

Two jokes here. First, is cow-towing to the Merkin's and second, how serious they are tackling human trafficking and slavery in the seas. Monty Phython anyone?

Ah! The duplicitous nature of this land!

This refusal to admit that slew of administrations have allowed slavery and human trafficking take place for centuries(*) reminds me of the Ripping Yarns (by one of the Pythons) chapter entitled "Roger of the Raj".

Save face, save face! Do not downgrade us: we are Thais! We are, oh, so special! Just look at the millions of you Farangs that come here to give us your money!

(*) Thailand "formally" abolished slavery in 1912 although it continued in the guise of the Khon Chai.

[klauskunkel]

"We still don't know whether the US will upgrade or downgrade us," said the Foreign Ministry's director-general of American and South Pacific Affairs, Songsak Saicheua.

"We are prepared for both scenarios; whatever tier they put us in, we will still continue with our future work and key action plans.

"We will also plan ahead to make more efforts,"

We will continue doing what we do, no matter what....

We will plan to make more efforts in the future, and the planning alone is a huge effort, so we can't say for sure that there will be more efforts according to plans...

[Baerboxer]

Hmmm, Thai's admitting there is a problem, then admitting they need to do something about it, Then actually doing something, Then prosecuting the Heads of the slave traders not just the fall guy's. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.

Wasn't it Suthep that said just falang, stupid bastards and have no respect for falangs, and should shut up.

lucky he's not the self installed "Sovereign body" and could have executed anyone, as was his stated wish, and some here on TV, or maybe he would be telling the US and the human watch groups just where to stick their P*SS WEAK "non humanitarian and non trade -related assistance".

Stop being silly. You really expect anyone to believe Suthep is the mastermind behind all this? Very few supporters on TV backed or supported Suthep as an appointed leader. A considerable number supported the movement to remove the corrupt regime than was ineffective, inefficient, unaccountable, non transparent and openly controlled and taking instructions from a convicted criminal fraudster.

Would you care to list the improvements, PTP or any of the Shinwatra family controlled political parties, made in the area of Human Trafficking or Human Rights?

The problem is a lot older and deeper than the shallowness you suggest. The fact Thailand is only interested in the US rankings and the outcome of those rankings, rather than the actual problems is the issue. It smacks of what can we get away with, rather than how do we reduce and try to eradicate this vile practice.

[tingtongteesood]

Rohingya, Thai shrimp slave labor, sex trafficking, child labor, massive exodus of "illegal" Cambodians, military dictatorship, no arrests, no trials, no prosecutions, pickup truckloads of migrant workers, payoffs and poaching land in the north, no news follow up, over 6,000 killings for ten years in the south. Everything augurs well for Thais. They are "holding their breath," but doing nothing else.

And, to throw back a common barb at the red sheeple, why didn't Thaksin or Yingluck do anything to stop this while they were in power.....?

[webfact]

Thailand confident of winning praise on human trafficking combating record



BANGKOK: -- As the United States is going to release its latest Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report late this week, relevant Thai government agencies are confident that they have made several progresses to resolve human trafficking problems.

They believed these efforts could help to convince US authorities not to downgrade Thailand’s status in human trafficking record.

Thailand has been listed on a Tier 2 Watch List of the TIP report for the past four years, meaning it risks a downgrade for its human-trafficking practises, notably involving the Rohingya boat people in past years.

If no progress is reported in the past year, it may slip to Tier 3. If Thailand is demoted to Tier 3, certain trade privileges from the US will end. It will likely trigger sanctions against Thailand, which could include the withholding or withdrawal of US non-humanitarian and non-trade-related assistance.

The US had earlier questioned the involvement of Thai officials in the trafficking of persons.

Representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Royal Thai Police and related agencies told a press conference on Monday regarding the ongoing progress in combating human trafficking in Thailand.

Thai embassy officials in the US said the country’s progress in combating human trafficking is not only meaningfully greater than it was in previous years, but also greater than progress made by other countries previously upgraded in the US TIP report.

Thailand has made significant advances in combating human trafficking, working with partners at home and abroad including neighbouring nations, the US, the EU, international organisations and NGOs to implement preventive measures, to protect and assist victims and to bring human traffickers to justice.

Law enforcement statistics showed significant progress in investigations, prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators, including 674 trafficking investigations by Thai officials in 2013 – more than double the number of 306 similar investigations in 2012.

Their defence of Thailand’s role in combating human trafficking came after a London-based newspaper ‘The Guardian’ accused Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) of buying fishmeal which it feeds to its farmed prawns from some suppliers that own, operate or buy from fishing boats that are said to use slave labour.

The newspaper published an article on June 10, saying that illegal migrant workers who work in the fishing industry in Thailand are integral to the production of prawns sold in leading supermarkets around the world. They also labeled Thailand’s seafood industry as state-sanctioned slavery.

The Thai authorities have called the report unfounded and said it failed to capture the overall human-trafficking situation in the nation.

Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Sek Wannamethee said it is unlikely that the outcome of the TIP report would be affected by the allegations against CP, as only the progress made in 2013 and early 2014 will be included in their assessment of the situation.

Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow met Monday with US Ambassador Kristie Kenney to discuss the matter, insisting that Thailand had made progress on law enforcement in handling the human trafficking.

Of 400 cases involved, more than 200 had been prosecuted.

According to the ministry’s statement, Thailand has pursued a national strategy on the “5P” approaches to deal with trafficking issues.

They are: Prosecution and Law Enforcement, Protection and Recovery, Prevention, Policy and Mechanism to drive the policy, and Partnership, according to a press statement.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailand-confident-winning-praise-human-trafficking-combating-record/


-- Thai PBS 2014-06-18

[Lancelot]

If I had any money, I would bet that the US will not downgrade Thailand. They will report that Thailand is improving (however slowly) but more progress needs to be made. They will criticize but let Thailand save a little face at the same time.

Yes both sides will continue kicking the can down the road. Its a well rehearsed dance: Thailand saying the right things and appearing contrite; the US wagging its finger and (with fake out rage) sternly warning "This is your last chance!"

Japan is a large buyer of Thai fish as well, I haven't seen any condemnation from them...

[scorecard]

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If I had any money, I would bet that the US will not downgrade Thailand. They will report that Thailand is improving (however slowly) but more progress needs to be made. They will criticize but let Thailand save a little face at the same time.

Yes both sides will continue kicking the can down the road. Its a well rehearsed dance: Thailand saying the right things and appearing contrite; the US wagging its finger and (with fake out rage) sternly warning "This is your last chance!"

Japan is a large buyer of Thai fish as well, I haven't seen any condemnation from them...

Further, I wonder what 'improvements' means.

Perhaps it means move from 'utterly disgraceful' to 'borderline utterly disgraceful'.

When someone does something substantive and permanent about the fishing boats scenario including long jail time for: boat owners, boat captains, senior crew members, labour agents, labour department officials who are complicit, companies who buy fish from these vessels and these fishing companies then we have some progress, not before.

Edited June 18, 2014 by scorecard

[belg]

maybe they can ask the navy to check every fishing boat ?

or was that part of the problem ?

[Chang_paarp]

These folk must get their happy pills from the same place TAT orders theirs.

The "intervention" (coup for those who did not get the memo) and arbitrary summonsing and detention of people will not endear Thailand to those who write the report. Added to this, being the only country to vote against the ILO protocol on forced labour (yes a back-flip followed) when maybe an abstention would have been a better diplomatic option will also add to the pressure to downgrade.

[thumper101]

Rohingya, Thai shrimp slave labor, sex trafficking, child labor, massive exodus of "illegal" Cambodians, military dictatorship, no arrests, no trials, no prosecutions, pickup truckloads of migrant workers, payoffs and poaching land in the north, no news follow up, over 6,000 killings for ten years in the south. Everything augurs well for Thais. They are "holding their breath," but doing nothing else.

And all that happening on Thaksin's watch... Including the 2 coups, and yes..... Thaksin is responsible for the last government and the latest coup.

Anyway.... Imagine what could have been done with the money wasted on populist policies that could have been used to clamp down on all the injustices and misery in Thailand.

Everything needs money to operate something.... there could have been a very effective ministry set up to thwart attempts to exploit humans in a degrading and ruthless way.... but no..... 25 Billion for set top box vouchers is about the limit of Thai administraters.

[aussieinthailand]

Hmmm, Thai's admitting there is a problem, then admitting they need to do something about it, Then actually doing something, Then prosecuting the Heads of the slave traders not just the fall guy's. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.

Wasn't it Suthep that said just falang, stupid bastards and have no respect for falangs, and should shut up.

lucky he's not the self installed "Sovereign body" and could have executed anyone, as was his stated wish, and some here on TV, or maybe he would be telling the US and the human watch groups just where to stick their P*SS WEAK "non humanitarian and non trade -related assistance".

Stop being silly. You really expect anyone to believe Suthep is the mastermind behind all this? Very few supporters on TV backed or supported Suthep as an appointed leader. A considerable number supported the movement to remove the corrupt regime than was ineffective, inefficient, unaccountable, non transparent and openly controlled and taking instructions from a convicted criminal fraudster.

Would you care to list the improvements, PTP or any of the Shinwatra family controlled political parties, made in the area of Human Trafficking or Human Rights?

The problem is a lot older and deeper than the shallowness you suggest. The fact Thailand is only interested in the US rankings and the outcome of those rankings, rather than the actual problems is the issue. It smacks of what can we get away with, rather than how do we reduce and try to eradicate this vile practice.

Oi, Sherlock, Where did I say "Suthep is the mastermind behind all this"???

Now have another go at reading some basic English text, so stop being silly, and get over yourself.

Thailand has several hundred years of slavery in it's history as do many other country's,

Just LOS seems not to be having a fair dinkum crack at stopping it when the profits are so great.

[taony]

Good, more "updating" the falang. Everything will be honkey dorey.

[BudRight]

They have reason to be confident. Lies and coverups have worked well so far.