"Thailand investigated and prosecuted some cases against corrupt officials involved in trafficking, but trafficking-related corruption continued to impede progress in combating trafficking," the 2015 TIP report said. "The government decreased the number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and victims identified in 2014."

Though the report acknowledged measures taken by the government, it also said that "the prosecution of journalists and advocates for exposing traffickers, and statements discouraging media reporting on trafficking crimes undermined some efforts to identify and assist victims and apprehend traffickers".

That paragraph kind of says it all. Either you are serious about fighting trafficking, or you are not. Arresting journalists who are investigating trafficking shows you have something to hide. It is such an unproductive exercise, and it a position of absolute denial. With the new crackdown on the fishing industry, it is amazing to me how little talk there is about boat captains being arrested for slave trading. I am only hearing about boats operating without licenses. What is going on with that?

Aside from Thailand's obvious longstanding culture of disregard for anyone's rights and the fishing industry, Rohingya problems being no exception, and bearing in mind also the notion that perhaps there is some element of the TPP arm twsiting going on here, then perhaps we could stretch things a bit and say that what the US state department is basically saying to Thailand is this: hands off our international corporate patrons' slaves. As stewards of the TPP, It is our job to make sure that they may enslave them and not you, and it will all be neat and tidy and legal and internationally approved and under the aegis of an international trade agreement framework soon enough, so that all will be fine and dandy and morally upright in in our minds in time for Christmas, so back off.

Thailand is not included in TPP.