US, UN Call for Probe into Thai Trafficking of Rohingya

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/us-un-...f-rohingya/123

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.
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.