The new anti-trafficking chief at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) says he is ready to step up the fight against scammers and smugglers operating along the border, to improve the country's position on the United States' human trafficking watchlist.
The newly appointed chief of the CIB's Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD), Pol Maj Gen Songklod Krirkkitaya, said the government's crackdown on scam syndicates along the border has yielded positive results.
Thousands of people from all over the world have been rescued from compounds controlled by criminals who had lured them with false promises of a legitimate job in Thailand.
The main focus now, he said, is distinguishing between the real victims and suspects who are claiming to be victims in an effort to avoid criminal prosecution.
As such, the police have adapted their approach. The ATPD, for instance, has come up with a new method to help authorities discern which of those rescued were actually victims of the criminal syndicates.
Now, both Thais and foreign nationals rescued from scam compounds across the border will be subjected to a 74-question interview designed to weed out the criminals among the suspects.
The screening format was introduced by Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, the director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Centre under the Royal Thai Police, after authorities learned that many of the Thai victims rescued from scam compounds in Cambodia had willingly left Thailand to work for these criminal syndicates.
Pol Maj Gen Songklod said human traffickers and scammers have become aware of loopholes in the process, so many of those netted often would come up with statements to make them appear as if they were victims of human trafficking syndicates.
He cited a recent case in which 119 people who claimed to be victims were found to be willing participants in the scams following intensive vetting and probes into their mobile devices.
Compared to the eight-question screening format which the police used in the past, the new format is more thorough, with more questions relating to the individual's travel history, accommodation and activities.
Pol Maj Gen Songklod said the evidence obtained through the screening can be used as a basis for issuing arrest warrants.
BORDER CROSSINGS
Pol Maj Gen Songklod said Thailand's efforts to help countries that are looking to rescue their citizens from scam compounds will help improve the country's standing in the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) annual report.
While the police are working on the ground to suppress the syndicate's activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with foreign embassies not only to repatriate those who were lured to work across the border by scammers but also to alert them of any suspicious cross-border movements by their citizens.
There are two key border crossings where human trafficking activities are rampant: Tak's Mae Sot district in the west, which borders Myanmar; and Sa Kaeo in the east, which borders Cambodia.
In Mae Sot, officers have been stationed at Huai Hin Fon checkpoint, a key border control hub. Every foreigner who passes through the checkpoint is subjected to the 74-question interview format. The results are forwarded to Pol Gen Thatchai.
The crossing at the Sa Kaeo border poses a different challenge, as there are numerous natural channels for people to cross.
Pol Maj Gen Songklod acknowledged that most Thais engaged in illegal work in Cambodia use these routes. The number is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
BIG DATA LEAD
CIB's work is aided by a large-scale big data system and the Real-Time Crime Centre, a one-stop crime suppression centre.
The CIB, under the leadership of Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, was ready to roll out a roadmap to dismantle trafficking networks domestically and internationally and improve legal tools to enhance law enforcement and victim support and protection. This involves coordination with state agencies for victim assistance, rehabilitation, and witness protection.
Additionally, anti-trafficking police officers will work on standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines so anti-trafficking operations meet an internationally accepted standard, said Pol Maj Gen Songklod. They will be given more training to improve investigative skills and victim support capabilities.
Collaboration with government agencies and private and foreign organisations will help in intelligence-sharing and expanding suppression efforts.
After graduating from the Royal Police Cadet Academy, Pol Maj Gen Songklod pursued a master's degree in government management in the US. His career spanned various roles, including administrative and traffic police positions, crime suppression, and Special Branch police, before his appointment as the head of ATPD.
