Allies Cited for Human Trafficking
13 June Washington Post - Allies Cited for Human Trafficking by Nora Boustany.
Quote:
The State Department yesterday added seven countries, including four Arab allies, to its list of worst offenders in failing to suppress human trafficking and forced labor, which it called "a modern day form of slavery."
The 236-page annual survey, now in its seventh year, added Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar to its blacklist of worst offenders, along with Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Malaysia. Countries on the list are subject to sanctions until major reforms are introduced.
The list already included Burma, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Laos, Belize and Zimbabwe were dropped from the list this year.
The world's two most populous countries, China and India, were kept on an intermediate watch list, meaning their approach to trafficking is deemed deficient but not enough to face immediate U.S. sanctions...
Disappointing and sad if true
US, UN Call for Probe into Thai Trafficking of Rohingya
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/us-un-...f-rohingya/123
Quote:
The report, published on Thursday and based on a two-month investigation in three countries, revealed a clandestine policy to remove Rohingya refugees from Thailand's immigration detention centers and deliver them to human traffickers waiting at sea.
Quote:
The U.S. State Department is gathering information for its next Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report, due to be published in June. Thailand faces an automatic downgrade to Tier 3, the lowest rank, unless it makes “significant efforts” to improve its record in combating trafficking, the State Department says. The Tier 3 designation could leave Thailand subject to U.S. sanctions.
“Unless Thailand makes it a top priority to clean these rackets up, and investigate and prosecute all those involved, Bangkok should kiss goodbye any prospect of escaping Tier 3 in the annual U.S. anti-trafficking report,” Robertson said.
Thailand is one of five treaty allies in the USPACOM Area of Responsibility, so sanctions against this old ally will do little to support our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. The most significant A2AD threat we face in this region is short sighted U.S. policies that limit our engagement. If the report of trafficking is accurate I support taking action, but lets not do damage to our longer term interests in the region by responding with a kneejerk reaction.