On June 5, 2024, the Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Pairoj Chotikasathien, assigned the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour, Lieutenant Saroj Komkhai, as the Ministry of Labour’s representative to participate in the Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign Day 2024, under the theme “Together We Can Stop Cyber – Trafficking.” The Minister of Social Development and Human Security, Mr. Warawut Silpa-archa, chaired the opening speech and presented awards. The Permanent Secretary of Social Development and Human Security, Mr. Anukul Piedkaew, gave a report. Executives and representatives of related departments attended the event at the Phoenix Ballroom, IMPACT Exhibition Center Building, IMPACT Exhibition, and Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi Province.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour, Lieutenant Saroj Komkhai, said that today, the Permanent Secretary of Labour assigned him to represent the Ministry of Labour to participate in the honour of the Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign Day 2024. In this event, the Ministry of Labour was selected to receive two awards, namely the Outstanding Agency Award for Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking, to the Secretariat Office of the Labour Trafficking Prevention Command Center, the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Labour. The Director of the Office of the Secretariat of the Labour Trafficking Prevention Command Center, Ms. Sopana Boon-Long, was the award recipient for the screening of workers in establishments, creating tools to seek indications for people who have reason to suspect that they may be victims from labour exploitation, forced labour, or human trafficking in labour, according to the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act B.E. 2551 and the amendments. There are the basic screening standards (SOP), the screening form (RorBor. 1) in 4 languages, and a set of questions for using the screening form (RorBor. 1 ) to seek information from additional interviews. There were the development of personnel under the Secretariat Office of the Labour Trafficking Prevention Command Center for the 2023 fiscal year, information released, and public relations efforts on the prevention of human trafficking in labour, including collaboration with government agencies and NGOs.
Lieutenant Saroj continued that the Outstanding Person Award for the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking was awarded to Mr. Thaweesak Sawatsingh, a Legal Expert from the Office of the Permanent Secretary of Labour, for his important work. He was appointed to the position of committee member and secretary in the Expert Committee on Labour Exploitation in the national expert committee. He is a lecturer providing knowledge about forced labour or services, human trafficking, and preliminary screening to seek indications for persons with reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be victims of labour exploitation, forced labour, or human trafficking. He participated in a mission to inspect establishments and screen interviews for 17 Myanmar national workers who were detained and forced into labour or services, which may be considered human trafficking. He attended a meeting of the working group to consider drafting, improving, and amending provisions under the law on the prevention and suppression of human trafficking, to carry out, study, analyze, draft, improve, and amend provisions under the law on prevention and suppression of human trafficking and participated in interviews and preliminary screening of people who may be victims of forced labour or services, or human trafficking, according to the preliminary screening form on forced labour or services and human trafficking.
In addition, the Ministry of Labour participated in a booth at the exhibition on the prevention and suppression of human trafficking. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security organized the event. The objective is to show the determination of the Thai government to prevent and suppress human trafficking and eradicate it from Thailand or the Zero Tolerance campaign to publicize Thailand’s anti-trafficking operations, create correct knowledge and understanding about combating human trafficking for the public, network partners involved from both central and regional government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations, to join forces with relevant agencies in Thailand to prevent and suppress human trafficking to be accepted at the international level.
