DSI urged to prioritise human trafficking |
Thursday, 02 June 2011 07:00 |
The Department of Special Investigations should make human trafficking cases a priority, says Eaklak Loomchomkha, chief of the anti-human trafficking non-governmental organisation Mirror Foundation.
The problem is not the law - it has plenty of teeth - but rather enforcement by authorities, some of which are complicit in such crimes, said Mr Eaklak during a presentation at the Human Trafficking Situation 2011 seminar marking the third anniversary of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act yesterday. At the seminar, several non-governmental organisations focused on the human trafficking situation and made a series of recommendations on how the government could better deal with the transnational crime. They suggested that human trafficking, which is sometimes abetted by government authorities, should automatically be elevated to priority cases by the DSI. Up until now, the DSI has only considered human trafficking in the fisheries industry as a priority. The government should raise awareness of the problem among its stakeholder agencies and require them to root out anybody within their ranks who may be assisting human traffickers. Activists at the seminar recommended that the next prime minister follow up and report on the progress of fighting human trafficking and keep the topic open for discussion with the public sector. The government should also provide proper care to victims of human trafficking and sufficient funding for prevention and suppression. Financial support should be allocated to anti-human trafficking agencies to help victims. Law enforcement, Mr Eaklak said, should focus its efforts on the Mor Chit bus terminal, Sanam Luang and Hua Lamphong railway station, where human traffickers are particularly active.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/240123/dsi-urged-to-prioritise-human-trafficking |