Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Press Release on 25 March 2015
On 25 March 2015, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Foreign Minister, delivered the opening remark at the First Bali Process Regional Symposium on Trafficking in Persons for the Purposes of Labour Exploitation, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Bangkok.
The Symposium was attended by counter-trafficking experts from Bali Process member countries and organizations in a multi-stakeholders framework with invited panelists from NGOs, private sector, academia, and international organizations. The forum aims to identify how labour trafficking has affected member countries and explore venues for cooperation to address this issue.
Created in 2002 to address the rapid increase in irregular migration in the region, the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process) has helped promote cooperation in the area of people smuggling and trafficking in persons, through development of strategies and practical cooperation among member countries and beyond. At present, membership of Bali Process members includes 45 countries across the Asia-Pacific as well as related International Organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to combat new threats.
Combating and preventing all forms of trafficking in persons, including labour trafficking, is one of the top priority for Thailand’s National Agenda. The symposium will help guide the region’s collective efforts in prosecution, protection, and prevention of human trafficking as well as addressing risk factors that lead to such exploits.
