In
a recent news , LUIS CdeBaca, ambassador at large for the US State Department's
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, urged Thailand on August 6th
2013 to impose harsh sentences on employers found guilty of trafficking migrant
workers.
The
Anti-Human Trafficking Act calls for four to 10 years in prison and fines of
Bt80, 000-Bt200, 000 against those convicted of such crimes.
CdeBaca
expressed his concern over the seizure of migrant workers' passports and
docking of their pay to cover middlemen's commissions.
CdeBaca
said, “The US would send an advisory team to help improve the Thai Labour
Ministry's worker-inspection system and human-trafficking prosecution process
which was rather slow, not strict enough, and encouraged employers to
repeatedly commit trafficking offences".
C
deBaca wished stricter controls on employment agencies, some of which charge
Thai workers placed in jobs overseas fees so high they fall within the framework
of human-trafficking offences. He also urged the government to ensure that a
good worker-protection system was in place before it goes forward with its plan
to import 50,000 Bangladeshis to work in the Thai fishery industry.
Acknowledging
that most employers faced only fines and civil lawsuits, Labor Ministry
permanent secretary Somkiat Chayasriwon said he would speak to the minister
about stricter measures and criminal charges for those who commit human
trafficking. He would also talk with the departments of Employment and Labour
Protection and Welfare about a probe into agencies that overcharge Thais for
placement in overseas jobs, and the possibility of prosecuting these agencies
under the criminal code.
Courtesy
: The NATION - Thailand news
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