US ‘notes’ trafficking efforts:
The United States has acknowledged the government’s efforts in combating human trafficking and pledged to join hands with Thailand to deal with both regional and global problems, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said yesterday.
“We [Thailand] have worked hard in all areas to tackle human trafficking issues, especially the arrest of officials involved in human trafficking rings and they acknowledge our efforts,” said Mr Don.
The foreign minister spoke to the media after the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel paid a courtesy call on him at the ministry yesterday.
Both sides also discussed bilateral relations, which had improved as a result of frequent meetings by high-level officials, the minister said.
Meanwhile, Mr Russel described his current visit to Thailand as “productive” and said both sides had discussed a tentative agenda for a special US-Asean summit which will be held in the US in February next year.
The meeting will be the first stand-alone summit between the US and Asean.
“We discussed how the US and Thailand can contribute to the region, to the institutions and specifically to its less-developed neighbours,” Mr Russel said.
The US reaffirmed its commitment to help Thailand to cope with global issues and regional challenges such as the world economy, fighting transnational terrorist threats, irregular migration problems and human trafficking, he told the media.