Thailand plans leading role in anti-trafficking campaign

Thailand has contributed US$100,000 (3.6 million baht) to an International Organisation for Migration (IOM) fund to run a regional information campaign aimed at raising awareness among migrants, the permanent secretary for the Foreign Ministry Apichart Chinwanno said yesterday.

“Thailand will also play a leading role in the campaign with the IOM to solve the problem at its root causes,” he said.

The fund is meant to ensure migrants who might be victims of human trafficking rings understand the risks of trafficking networks. He said relatives will also be the campaign’s targets as they normally pay for family members’ migration.

Mr Apichart said the campaign is expected to prevent movements of irregular migrants from taking place in the future and tackle the number of smugglers across Southeast Asia.

The Myanmar representative pledged to take responsibility for its migrant problem but did not elaborate on how it would solve concerns directly related to the Rohingya.

Myanmar is currently in a transition period; thus the pledge to take responsibility is seen as very positive, Mr Apichart said.

A source said the meeting had discussed concrete ways to handle this problem and in setting up a special committee consisting of five affected countries and international organisations to be responsible for all related matters.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Busby pledged that the US will continue providing assistance to address the migrant problem through financial support and other assistance if needed.

Mr Busby said taking some migrants for resettlement via the UNHCR is one option in which the US can take part, but noted the primary solution must be found in the region.

European Union (EU) officials meanwhile will return to Thailand late next month to follow up on the country’s efforts in tackling illegal fishing, according to Thai authorities.

Vice-Admiral Jumpol Lumpiganon, chief of the Command Centre for Combating Illegal Fishing’s public relations division, said Thai officials are working hard to address this problem, and the objective is to raise the country’s fishing practices to measure up to international standards rather than only responding to EU concerns.

“I am unable to say what the EU assessment will be,” Vice-Adm Jumpol said. “However, if the EU issues a red card, they will need to explain this.”

Director-general of the Department of European Affairs, Rattikul Chansuriya, said the EU visit is to vet the country’s attempts to end illegal fishing.