The DSI held a meeting to address
human trafficking by creating a network
to work together with Laos, Vietnam,
Cambodia,
Myanmar,
Malaysia and China.
Thailand’s human trafficking encompasses the fishing, service and sex
industries, as well as illegal beggars on the street.
SATTAHIP – September 20, 2012 [PDN]; the Department of Special Investigations
(DSI) set up a meeting with six neighboring countries to address the problem
of human trafficking. The meeting focused primarily on the fishing industry, but
also other types of exploitation, such as prostitutes and beggars from foreign
countries.
Chairing the meeting was Pol. Lt. Col. Paisit Sangkhaphong, representing the
DSI. The meeting’s moderator was TV news journalist Ms. Thapanee Eadsricha
i from channel 3.
Other meeting participants included the director of the fishing association,
NGO,
the sea police, the Navy, the command unit of subduing for human trade, and
related organizations.
Also at the meeting were representatives of the Samaesarn fishing group, in
area of Tambon Samaesarn, Amphur Sattahip,
Chonburi province.
Mr. Pramote Thowsakul, ex-kamnan of Tambon Samaesarn and the
entrepreneur of fishing in area of Tambon Samaesarn, (Sattahip), welcomed
the opportunity provided by the DSI to address the problem.
Mr. Pramote said his feeling is that Tambon Samaesarn is an area where
many foreign crewmembers on fishing boats are being deceived, beaten,
detained, and are often not paid for their work. As a result, Tambon Samaesarn
has acquired a bad reputation for human trafficking.
But Mr. Pramote also revealed that the entrepreneurs of fishing boats are not as
cruel as how the news reports describe them. The real culprits behind the cruel
treatment of foreign workers are the unscrupulous recruiting agents, he said.
When the exploited workers refuse to consent to the illegal working conditions,
or do not repay the agents after getting their first wages, often the agents get
angry and beat the victims, and also detain them to prevent them from escaping.
When enforcement officers come to make arrests, usually they do not fault the
entrepreneur for smuggling the workers, but instead accuse the entrepreneur
with illegally employing the foreign workers and giving them a place to live. But
then the enforcement officers often accept bribes to overlook the illegal activity,
which then continues.
Mr. Pramote said he was ready to cooperate with the government officers in every
organization to build a new “Samaesarn Model” to stop the illegal trafficking.
The DSI had set up the meeting to organize and network to protect and to solve
the problem of human trade, and ask for cooperation in detection and
investigation to subdue human trafficking among the seven countries of
Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, China, and Malaysia.
The Ministry of Justice, which has assigned the DSI as the entity responsible
for subduing human trafficking, has found in its investigation that attempting
to arrest the suspects is problematic. Since most of the recruiting agents live
in another country or a third-party country, local enforcement officers cannot
prosecute the agents at the origin of their crimes.
The meeting between seven countries will serve as an exchange of information
of human trafficking, and help set up a network of detection and investigation
to work together to arrest suspects in the international human trafficking circuit.
Among the seven countries, Thailand is regarded as the “central market” of
exchange for human trafficking, as well as a meeting place and transit corridor
for traffickers to send their victims to neighbor countries.
The type of human trafficking most prevalent in Thailand is among fishing
boat workers, according to meeting participants. However, sex trafficking
is the most severe problem because it also involves the sexual violation of
minors. The DSI has sent undercover officers to infiltrate the human trade
procession in high-risk areas.
The representatives from the Khong river country that extends through Laos
and Cambodia accepted that most of the problem of human trade occurs in
Thailand, where group of recruiting agents have deceived victims by offering
them work in Thailand restaurants and factories.
But when they arrive in Thailand, many underage Laotian women between
ages 15 to 18 were forced to be prostitutes, and many Cambodian children
and adults were forced to be beggars. Meeting participants will work
together for solutions to protect victims, especially in inspecting the
moving of workers between borders.
However, in the year 2015, the ASEAN association agreement will allow
more freedom and easing of trade barriers among the Khong River
countries of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
It is expected that this greater freedom will also make it easier for human
traffickers, and result in even more victims being exploited. So it is
necessary to find a way of cooperation between countries along
the Khong river to set up measures to handle the problem of human
trade that occurs continuously.
Regional 2 Superintendent Lt. Gen. Punya Maamen (front, left), along with regional police and Children’s Welfare and Protection Center officers inside the Silver Star A-Go-Go.
