House Representative Kannavee Suebsang stresses the need to further elevate the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and victim screening process, thanks all involved for assisting 527 Thai nationals from Laukkai in 2 months, and urges all to continue combatting transnational crimes.
20 December 2023, The House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights, chaired by Mr. Kamolsak Leewamoh, convened a meeting with relevant agencies to discuss the rescue of Thai human trafficking victims from Laukkai City in Myanmar. The meeting was a result of the Immanuel Foundation Vice-Chairperson’s letter to the Committee on 21 November 2023 regarding the allegedly unfair criminal proceedings against some of the victims.
The Royal Thai Police, the Department of Consular Affairs, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Ministry of Labor joined the meeting to clarify the repatriation process, with currently 527 Thai nationals being rescued, and the human trafficking victim screening process.
Mr. Kannavee Suebsang, a member of the House Committee, explained that the agencies were invited today, not to be criticized, but to discuss ways to care for victims and improve the NRM work process to be more proactive, as well as addressing the challenges in the implementation that include focal point agencies and large amount of victims.
Mr. Kannavee also mentioned that he has been discussing with the House of Representatives on the rescue of the human trafficking victims from Laukkai for the past 2 months. While appreciating the work of all agencies involved, he believed there remain thousands of Thai nationals along the borders with Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, who need help. Therefore, other than aiding trafficking victims, the Government also needs to address human trafficking and transnational criminal networks in order to tackle the problem at the root cause.
Regarding the Immanuel Foundation’s plea for justice for those under severe legal penalties, Mr. Kannavee assured that the Royal Thai Police will uphold justice, with the House Committee as one of the monitoring agencies to ensure justice for the victims.
Mr. Kannavee also expressed gratitude to the Civil Society and highlighted the importance of a victim-centric approach, along with the need to further elevate and improve the NRM to meet the international standards.
