SEA law enforcers eye joint response vs human trafficking

Senior law enforcement officers from Southeast Asia have gathered in Bangkok to map out responses to the transnational nature of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

Investigators took part in a workshop organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The workshop aims to strengthen regional law enforcement collaboration at the operational level.

Senior law enforcement officers planned joint action for cases, ranging from the trafficking of underage victims to large-scale labor exploitation of irregular migrants.

UNODC law enforcement experts provided technical information on intelligence-led investigation methods and how to pursue arrest warrants through diplomatic channels.

Jeremy Douglas, UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, emphasized the importance of addressing the transnational nature of trafficking and smuggling.

“Intergovernmental cooperation is important to address the needs of law enforcement and to protect victims, and it is fundamental to the approach laid out in our regional program,” he said.

“These crimes do not stop at borders and our efforts cannot either. This is precisely why we will continue to support this network of agencies and experts,” he added.

“We are helping law enforcement agencies with intelligence-led investigation techniques and a region-wide network needed to target high-level organizers of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. This is part of a comprehensive UNODC strategy to boost the quality of convictions across the region,” said Benjamin Smith, regional coordinator on trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.

Nathathorn Prousoontorn, deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said “Thailand is in a strategic position in Southeast Asia for human trafficking and migrant smuggling.”

“We are working closely with the UNODC team to drive ahead with important regional law enforcement solutions,” he said.

The workshop was the culmination of an eight-month period of major results.

The successes include the identification of a hidden resthouse used by migrant smugglers, the discovery of new smuggling routes, the updating of 24 arrest warrants and the rescue of 12 victims of human trafficking with the support of police in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

The training is the latest in a series of workshops and mentoring sessions organized by the UNODC Regional Office to strengthen law enforcement collaboration.

Participants will build on the achievements, bringing a number of ongoing investigations to successful conclusions before they meet again in 2018.