The Royal Thai Police (RTP) will work with Interpol to establish a coordinating centre to tackle human trafficking gangs in Southeast Asia.
A source said that deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, director of the Child Woman Protection and Anti-human Trafficking Centre and Fishery Sector, met FBI officials to discuss human trafficking prevention at the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore on Monday.
The source said the deputy chief of RTP’s Foreign Affairs Division and Immigration chief in Songkhla were also at the meeting with the FBI officials who were from its international operation unit against child violence.
At the meeting, the RTP reportedly discussed collaboration of anti-human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors in online crimes that have targeted Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The ongoing conflict in Myanmar has made it difficult to assist human trafficking victims there while the number of gangs there keeps growing, the meeting was told. However, Interpol can still assist victims by coordinating with international police based in Thailand and RTP, the source said.
So far, Thai police and Interpol have wrapped up 12 human trafficking-related cases in Myanmar and helped 88 victims of various nationalities. Police are working on nine other cases.
To better tackle human trafficking, Interpol wants to conduct an operational plan and establish a coordinating centre in Thailand, said Pol Gen Surachate, according to the source. The source said the deputy national police chief has agreed with the move.
Pol Gen Surachate said illicit drug gangs are likely associated with human trafficking and illegal fisheries. To tackle it effectively, he reportedly said, requires cooperation from all sides to enforce international laws.
In previous meetings with Myanmar authorities, the RTP obtained details about cases of sexual abuse against minors from the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Interpol.
The RTP have instructed police to intensify their search for trafficking victims and asked Interpol to supply more information through the International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database, said Pol Gen Surachate. The RTP’s Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) taskforce will lead the operation and keep Interpol updated on the progress.
