Malaysian demand for cheap labour propels human trafficking in Thailand to record heights
- Thailand has come under scrutiny in recent years for slavery and trafficking, especially in its seafood and sex industries
- US State Department this year in its human trafficking report kept Thailand on a watch list and criticised it for not doing enough
Thai police have rescued 974 trafficking victims – mostly from Myanmar – for the year to date, compared to 622 for the whole of last year and a previous annual high of 982 in 2015, according to data released last week by the Thai government’s anti-trafficking division.
Thailand has come under scrutiny in recent years for slavery and trafficking, especially in its seafood and sex industries.
The US State Department this year in its human trafficking report kept Thailand on a watch list and criticised the Southeast Asian country for not doing enough to tackle the problem.
“There’s a high possibility that figures this year will reach a record high, with many victims telling us they were planning to work in Malaysia,” said police colonel Mana Kleebsattabudh, deputy commander at the anti-trafficking division.
There are about 4.9 million migrants in Thailand, making up more than 10 per cent of the country’s workforce, according to the United Nations. Most are from poorer neighbouring countries including Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
