Asian states to tackle human trafficking

Asian states to tackle human trafficking

Agence France-Presse
Bangkok

Senior officials from China and five Southeast Asian nations
gathered in the Thai capital Wednesday to thrash out a new
framework for fighting human trafficking in the region.

Representatives from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand
and Vietnam were due to hammer out an inaugural agreement to
address the problem that sees some 800,000 men, women and
children trafficked annually across borders in a billion-dollar
illicit trade.

It was the first time the countries came together to combat
what Thailand's minister of social development and human
security, Sora-at Klinpratoom, described as a "modern-day form of
slavery".

"We must admit that the problem is a major one, and that it
has huge impacts on the rights and livelihoods of our peoples,"
he said in an opening speech.

"The long land-borders that our countries share, and the
geography of those border areas, makes it almost impossible to
control these movements.

"Accordingly we have to work together, as good neighbors, to
solve these problems."

The meeting is working on a memorandum of understanding that
is expected to be signed by ministers of the six nations in
Myanmar's capital Yangon in October.

The countries of the region have been strongly criticized for
failing to recognize the scale of the problem.

In June the United States downgraded Thailand on its human
trafficking watchlist for failure to make progress in stamping
out the global scourge.

Thailand joins other Southeast Asian nations placed on the so-
called "Tier Two watchlist" including Laos, the Philippines and
Vietnam, while neighboring Myanmar remains at Tier Three, the
lowest level.

Earlier this month U.S. President George W. Bush announced
that US$50 million would be given to eight countries including
Southeast Asia's Cambodia and Indonesia to fight trafficking.

The projects will focus primarily on fighting sex slavery, the
fastest-growing category of trafficking, according to the U.S.
State Department.