Thailand has a major problem with human trafficking. And while recent crackdowns may disrupt trafficking syndicates, they don’t get to the root of the problem — the need to overhaul the police and courts.
Earlier this week, a court in Thailand issued arrest warrants for several military officers for allegedly smuggling Rohinga migrants, with the Thai government calling the move “significant,” as the accused included a Colonel and two Capitans linked to the Internal Operations Security Command (ISOC), which is chaired by Thailand’s prime minister. The fourth officer authorities are searching for is a Royal Thai Navy commander. Thai courts have now put out 153 arrest warrants and taken 90 alleged perpetrators into custody, including local officials, police, Thai mafia and bureaucrats.
But the move does not get to the problem’s root, which is that Thailand desperately needs a massive overhaul of its police force. While there are many good officers, the department is rife with corruption and filed with officers who are reluctant to deal conduct investigations or follow up on reports on human trafficking, sources on the ground told Borderless.
On average, Thai police offices earn $200 to $300 per month in a country where minimum wage is around U.S. $180 per month. Pay is particularly low in provincial towns outside of major metropolis Bangkok. That makes officers ripe for taking bribes and gives them very little motivation to tackle tough cases that require lengthy investigations.
In July, the U.S. State Department kept Thailand ranked at Tier 3, which means the U.S. believes the Southeast Asian country is not doing much to halt modern day slavery. Thailand shot back that the report was unfair, pointing out that, at the time, Thailand had made 100 arrests.
Borderless has noted that businesses with supply chains in Thailand and the region need to pay close attention to the issue. Indeed, Costco now faces a lawsuit that alleges the retailer bought shrimp from Thailand linked to slave labor.
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