Thailand praises US upgrade in human trafficking report

BANGKOK – Thailand’s military government is praising the U.S. State Department’s decision to upgrade the country in its annual report on efforts to fight human trafficking.

Thailand has faced global scrutiny for the use of slave labour on fishing vessels as well as for being a transit point for traffickers from nearby nations. In the Trafficking in Persons report released Thursday, Thailand was promoted from a watch list to tier 2, the second-highest ranking.

The report cited its convictions of traffickers and complicit officials, including 11 involved in the trafficking of Myanmar’s Rohingya migrants.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said Friday he was grateful for the upgrade as it “reflects the determination and sincere intentions of the Thai government and our continued hard-work to tackle the issue of human trafficking.”