Thailand has been upgraded from Tier 3, the lowest ranking, to the Tier 2 Watch List in the US Department of State's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released in Washington DC Thursday.
According to a statement released by the US embassy in Bangkok, the Tier 2 Watch List ranking indicates that the Thai government made significant efforts to eliminate trafficking during the rating period, but still does not fully meet the minimum standards for doing so.
The 2016 TIP Report covers governments' anti-trafficking efforts from April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2016.
- See also: Myanmar blacklisted, Thai rank rapped
- Earlier report: Thailand upgraded, but warned
- Official statement: US Embassy announces upgrade
The State Department credited Thailand for undertaking legal reforms; for convicting 241 traffickers during 2015, compared with 104 in 2014; and for filing criminal charges against 34 officials in 2015, up from seven in 2014.
But the department said reports persist that some government officials are directly complicit in trafficking, and migrant workers, especially those who are undocumented, are fearful of reporting trafficking crimes and cooperating with authorities.
The statement said the Tier 2 Watch List ranking underscores that the problem of human trafficking in Thailand remains large and requires additional, substantial and effective government leadership.
"We encourage Thailand to make further, sustained progress in fighting trafficking and enforcing Thai anti-trafficking laws," the statement said.
The report and supporting documents are stored at a US State Department website.
The International Labor Rights Forum issued a strongly worded protest against the report's Thailand section, saying the upgrade was premature and could actually slow progress in the anti-human trafficking efforts.
"We are very disappointed at this decision" (to elevate Thailand out of Tier 3 status) said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the forum. Migrant workers are still one of the most vulnerable groups in the country to human trafficking, and Thailand has not shown any indication that it intends to allow migrant workers greater access to fundamental rights that would protect them from exploitation."
However, that is subject to dispute. On Wednesday, before the US report was issued, food giant Betagro severed relations with a chicken farm after activists reported its owners were violating labour law in the treatment of its migrant labourers. Other farm owners have been prosecuted for similar violations.
US Secretary of State John Kerry introduced the 2016 report late Tuesday (Thailand time). (EPA photo)
The advocacy group Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking issued statement claiming the rankings of Thailand and Malaysia were "problematic."
"There were some tough calls," said Mr Kerry. "In the end, they come down to an element of discretion, but not much, because we have a fixed set of rules that Congress has created, and we follow those rules," he said.
Republican Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, author of the legislation that mandates the trafficking rankings, said the Obama administration has failed to correct last year's "egregious" upgrade for Malaysia, which he linked to its participation in the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said Malaysia had failed to prosecute anyone in connection with the discovery of the mass graves at the Malaysia-Thai border in May 2015. He said he would introduce legislation to reform the tier ranking process.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington said the report "recognises the progress and significant efforts made by Thailand in the fight against human trafficking."
The government will continue working on measures to combat human trafficking regardless of whether the country is upgraded in the United States' Trafficking in Persons Report, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said before the release of the report.
Gen Prayut said Thursday the government has fought against human trafficking for the best interests of Thailand, not just for the sake of securing a better ranking in the TIP report.
He said the government is duty-bound to protect human trafficking. "We also have a duty towards humanity. The victims are also human. Don't you feel sorry for them? This [human trafficking] must stop."
The Foreign Ministry and other working panels related to the issue will hold a press conference on the TIP report, Gen Prayut said.