Thailand, UK to jointly tackle human trafficking

From left, Simon Hewett, director of International Liaison and Intelligence, UK Border Agency (UKBA); Pol MajGeneral Surachai Vanichseni, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau; Social Development and Human Security Ministry inspectorgene

Organised by the British Embassy, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and the International Organisation for Migration, the event saw Thai and British experts meeting to launch a humantrafficking awareness brochure.

British Ambassador Quinton Quayle presented the brochure to Minister of Information and Communication Technology Ranongruk Suwanchawee; deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau Pol MajGeneral Surachai Vanichseni; and Kwanmuang Bowornassavakul, ministry of social development and human security's inspectorgeneral.

"Human trafficking is a despica¬ble crime. It causes misery to thou¬sands of victims all over the world. Working together, Thailand and the UK can help tackle this crime, raise awareness and bring the perpetrators to justice," Quayle said, adding that the problem of the Rohingya boat people was an example of how human trafficking affected countries.

Top British officials agreed that human trafficking was an interna¬tional problem and that a coordi¬nated international response was needed to tackle it.

Last year, in a sixmonthlong operation across the United Kingdom, 528 perpetrators were arrested in 188 police raids. The majority of the 167 victims were found to have come from Southeast Asian countries, with about 30 per cent of the cases involving Thais, either as perpetrators or victims.

"The victims were not caught, but given help like counselling and temporary shelter," says Simon Hewett, director of International Liaison and Intelligence, UKBA. Thais and other Asian victims were rescued in cities across the country, ranging from London and Manchester to Glasgow and Bristol.

Hewett added that Britain was a favourite destination for traffickers from Asia, West Africa and Eastern Europe, and said he had chosen Thailand as the launching PAD for this campaign because Thai police had the expertise and experience to deal with this problem.

"We rely on the Thai police to take forward any operational activity. We will help provide the intelligence that will ultimately be turned into evidence for the operations.

"I'm worried about the lack of knowledge of the overall scale of the problem. As the world goes into a recession, the pressure that is on trafficking will increase. I suspect the lack of a coordinated international response encourages criminals to say that in this area there's profit to be made," Hewett explained.

Law enforcement, partnerships with governments and better awareness are key to tackling the problem successfully, he added.

"I have a word of warning. Governments are now clearly working together. They [the traffickers] will be caught and punished," he promised.