US government to release 2015 TIP report next Monday

[webfact]

2015 TIP report to be released next Monday

WASHINGTON, 22 July 2015 (NNT) - The U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby has revealed that the U.S. government is to release the 2015 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report next Monday, July 27, at 10 a.m. local time or at 9 p.m. Thai time.

The U.S. Secretary of State is expected to announce the report by himself as in the previous years. The TIP report places each country onto one of four tiers based on the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”.

Tier 1 is the highest ranking, followed by Tier 2, Tier 2 with close monitoring, and Tier 3 in which Thailand has been ranked in the previous year. Basically, country ranked in Tier 3 will be reassessed within three months whether or not the U.S. government will impose any pressure or sanction measures on it. However, the U.S. government decided not to place any sanction measures on Thailand last year.

-- NNT 2015-07-22

[webfact]

TIP
'We've done our best,' says PM awaiting US verdict on trafficking
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- PRIME Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Wednesday his government had done its best to tackle human trafficking - as the US Department of State prepares to release the annual report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) on Monday.

John Kirby, spokesperson at the State Department, said the TIP report would be released at 10am (9pm Bangkok time) to announce the status of all countries around the world on the handling of human trafficking issues.

Thailand was downgraded last year to the lowest Tier 3 in the TIP report for what the US saw as its poor management of the humanitarian crisis.

Prayut blamed the government he toppled last year for the downgrade. "I came to solve the problem, not to create a problem, but I don't know what [will be] the result," he said, "Let it be."

Prayut said he worked hard over the past year to improve Thailand's status in the TIP report. He said he elevated trafficking into a national agenda, setting up a task force to solve the problem.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Weve-done-our-best-says-PM-awaiting-US-verdict-on--30264992.html


-- The Nation 2015-07-22

[hanuman2543]

Another embarrassment for Thailand is coming up

[EnzoRippo]

'We've done our best,'

This is the saddest sentence I never read. The situation is awful. Army, police are fully involved in human trafficking. At this minute, NO TRIALS, NO SENTENCED OFFICERS, NO REAL IMPROVEMENT. If this is "the best", this is very weak and I wonder what is the worst.

In Thailand, if you smuggle one kilo of drug => death penalty, if you smuggle one ton of human being (20 x 50 kg), you risk a transfer to another city.

[Somtamnication]

Sounds to me like he knows the answer already.

[webfact]

PM vows to continue crackdown on human trade despite US rating

BANGKOK, 22 July 2015 (NNT) – Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha says his government will carry on with its crackdown on human trafficking, regardless of how the U.S. rates the country's concerted effort to end the scourge.

Speaking about the U.S. State Department’s annual ranking of global counter-trafficking efforts set for July 27, Gen Prayut commented his government will not be despondent if the U.S. maintains a low ranking of the country’s performance, nor will it be overjoyed if its world ranking improves.

The U.S. last year lowered Thailand to its “tier 3” list of worst offenders along with 22 countries. The rating prompted the government to vow to spare no effort in addressing the deep-rooted problems. High-profile operations included the exposing of a human trafficking network in the South and the registration and licensing of fishing boats to solve the problem of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU).

Gen Prayut confirmed, that with or without an improved US human rights rating, his government will still try its best to eradicate all forms of human abuse in a systematic manner, however complex the problems are.


-- NNT 2015-07-22

[BigBadGeordie]

Some statement are just "True", no matter who makes them!

[lewy67]

He said he elevated trafficking into a national agenda, setting up a task force to solve the problem.

That is, 'We've done sweet FA.'

[clockman]

Thais have to be forced to do something! They got away with a decade of abuse and slavery.

[JAG]

"Prayut blamed the government he toppled last year for the downgrade. "I came to solve the problem, "

​For 4 years, October 2010 to October 2014 he was commander in chief of the army. The organisation which has been most closely linked with slave trafficking in the southern provinces.

He may have forgotten, but I doubt if the US Department of State, who have prepared the report, will have overlooked it.

Edited July 22, 2015 by JAG

[Thai at Heart]

I would presume your statements can open you up for a very serious defamation suit....If they can throw the book at people reproducing a Reuters article, anything goes....

'We've done our best,'

This is the saddest sentence I never read. The situation is awful. Army, police are fully involved in human trafficking. At this minute, NO TRIALS, NO SENTENCED OFFICERS, NO REAL IMPROVEMENT. If this is "the best", this is very weak and I wonder what is the worst.

In Thailand, if you smuggle one kilo of drug => death penalty, if you smuggle one ton of human being (20 x 50 kg), you risk a transfer to another city.

[webfact]

Thailand hopes its ranking on human trafficking elimination will improve



BANGKOK: -- The government is optimistic that the United States will place Thailand in a better position on its effort to tackle human trafficking when it releases the 2015 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report next Monday.

Speaking to reporters today about the upcoming release of the 2015 TIP report, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government has done its best in addressing the human trafficking issue in the country over the year.

He said his government has set up systematic measures to prevent the problem and seriously prosecuted human trafficking network while a lot of traffickers have been arrested over the year.

He conceded that the problem was left unsolved for a long time.

Thailand was automatically downgraded to Tier 3 from Tier 2 after it failed to tackle human trafficking especially in the fisheries industry.

Under Tier 3 status, Thailand could face a range of sanctions from the US

Meanwhile, deputy foreign minister Don Pramudwinai said he is confident that the US report on Thailand’s human trafficking this year will be positive because the government has comprehensive and serious efforts in solving the problem.

Regarding possible downgrade for the government’s recent extradition of Uighur asylum seekers to China, which has drawn international condemnations, Don said the TIP reports measures each country’s effort in preventing and suppressing its human trafficking problem so the issue is not related to human trafficking.

He believed the US would not take the issue into account when considering Thailand’s position in the report.

In doing so, the US would distort the standard it has laid down and the accountability of the report, he said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailand-hopes-its-ranking-on-human-trafficking-elimination-will-improve


-- Thai PBS 2015-07-23

[NongKhaiKid]

Ministry of Propaganda will be working O/T to ready the appropriate reponses if the worst happens and no doubt the usual phrases about the US not ' understanding ' etc will be included.

LoS has done it's best and it's everybody else's fault anyway.

[Jessi]

Ministry of Propaganda will be working O/T to ready the appropriate reponses if the worst happens and no doubt the usual phrases about the US not ' understanding ' etc will be included.

LoS has done it's best and it's everybody else's fault anyway.

This should all be sent off to the "SPIN FACTORY" they will fix it up.

[keith101]

The US is one of the worst for human trafficking so why would anyone listen or take any notice of what they say .

[cmiuc]

He might(PM) want to check his consulates about this. I have been to Savannakhet several times for visas,and have you seen the sh*t load of young Laos girls being imported? I've never seen any men or older women in the line... I talked to one, she said she was going to Yasthon to be taught to work in a bar but was promise a new job in Bangkok. Amazing the corruption going on in these consulates. Its very sad too how Thailand is corrupting the countries surrounding its borders with its sex trade biz. So PM is not doing his best in his own "hen house" where the root of this problem lies their in... not to mention that his Police dept are in charge of these places... again.. an amazing gov't with an amazing PM in an amazing country! Hehe

[oneday]

This government didn't do a darn thing until they stumbled, literally stumbled, on that grave site two or three months ago and then, and only then, did some dominoes start to fall.

However, I'm willing to bet that now the pressure is off, the traffickers will be back, if not already. Until this government shows they are doing continual night flights monitoring the jungles, where these guys set up camps, using IR gear from helicopters, I won't be convinced they are STILL doing all they can do. They also have to keep up the pressure on fishing boats to get them all registered and monitored to help prevent them from being used as holding pens for traffickers until they can sell them to someone.

I fear the US will upgrade them anyway to Tier 2 even though I'm willing to bet there are still lots of traffickers out there plying their trade.

Edited July 23, 2015 by oneday

[baboon]

"Prayut blamed the government he toppled last year for the downgrade. "I came to solve the problem, "

​For 4 years, October 2010 to October 2014 he was commander in chief of the army. The organisation which has been most closely linked with slave trafficking in the southern provinces.

He may have forgotten, but I doubt if the US Department of State, who have prepared the report, will have overlooked it.

But Thaksin...

[FangFerang]

This government didn't do a darn thing until they stumbled, literally stumbled, on that grave site two or three months ago and then, and only then, did some dominoes start to fall.

However, I'm willing to bet that now the pressure is off, the traffickers will be back, if not already. Until this government shows they are doing continual night flights monitoring the jungles, where these guys set up camps, using IR gear from helicopters, I won't be convinced they are STILL doing all they can do. They also have to keep up the pressure on fishing boats to get them all registered and monitored to help prevent them from being used as holding pens for traffickers until they can sell them to someone.

I fear the US will upgrade them anyway to Tier 2 even though I'm willing to bet there are still lots of traffickers out there plying their trade.

I agree. And worse, the Thai reporter who uncovered a lot of the initial evidence was under pressure and a threat of a defamation case when the news hit the fan. For once, just once, they dropped the idea of a defamation charge.