The United States' decision to keep Thailand in Tier 3 of its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report does not accurately reflect the significant efforts undertaken by the government to tackle the problem, the Foreign Ministry says.
The report said Thailand has been kept in the lowest rank because it has failed to make sufficient efforts to eliminate human trafficking.
According to the ministry, Thailand has acted on the problem with a string of measures in prosecution and law enforcement, policy implementation and protection. The government is concerned that the report, with a cut-off date of March, fails to take into account its latest efforts.
"Despite the third-tier ranking, Thailand will continue to do its utmost to overcome the remaining challenges while also promoting security and upholding our long and distinguished tradition of adherence to humanitarianism," the ministry said last night after the report's release in the US.
"We will also seek to strengthen cooperation with all stakeholders including the private sector, civil society, international organisations and communities," it said.
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In the latest TIP report, the US accuses Thailand, Russia, Iran and Libya of taking insufficient action to tackle trafficking, in a damning report on a global scourge which the State Department decried as "modern slavery".
A total of 23 countries are in Tier 3. They also include: Algeria, Kuwait, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, and South Sudan.
It said Thailand did not fully comply with the minimum standards of eradicating trafficking and also failed to make any significant effort to do so.
It made limited efforts to enforce the law and failed to adequately report figures for cases which arose during the reporting period.
"The government reported four investigations, five prosecutions, and one conviction during the reporting period; an increase compared to three investigations in the previous reporting period. Four prosecutions remained pending at the close of the reporting period," the report said.
The ranking, compiled annually by the State Department, was announced by Secretary of State John Kerry.
By contrast Malaysia, which had plummeted last year to the lowest rung, was raised a notch this year to the "Watch List" category of Tier 2, after Kuala Lumpur exhibited "significant efforts" in fighting the trafficking.
Earlier, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha played down the importance of the much-awaited report, saying he is more focused on how to continue with the progress which the government has made to stop human trafficking.
Speaking before the report's release, the premier said he was not worried about whether the United States upgraded Thailand or not.
Fixing the system and trying to end human trafficking would take time, Gen Prayut said.
However, he said the government is confident it has improved its anti-human trafficking efforts in recent months.
The outcome would show whether the US trusts the government's efforts, the premier said.
The government is committed to thwarting the problem of trafficking regardless of the outcome, he said. "Officials must carry on with their work. If not, they will be punished," Gen Prayut said.
The premier also insisted the government must concentrate on tackling illegal fishing.
"Any [fishing] boats using illegal fishing nets will not be allowed to go out," the premier said. Boat operators must rectify problems first before being permitted to leave port, he added.
Deputy government spokesman Weerachon Sukhontapatipak insisted state agencies have done their best to tackle trafficking, but he admitted that more needs to be done.
Jumpol Sanguansin, director-general of the Fisheries Department, said authorities have been checking for forced labour on fishing trawlers through the Port-in, Port-out control centres.
The centres are part of the government's efforts to combat the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
He said the centres have played an important role in examining work permits for fishing crew on trawlers and they also stop people under the age of 18 from being exploited as labourers on the boats.
These are key factors that show the government is trying to clamp down on human trafficking, he said.
Abhisit Techanitisawat, chairman of the Thai Overseas Fisheries Association, said he was confident Thailand would be upgraded to Tier 2 in the TIP report, because of the government's increased efforts to fight trafficking, especially in the fishing industry.
Sakkarin Niyomsilpa, a demographic expert at Mahidol University's Institute for Population and Social Research, expressed his concern about the ranking because the US concluded the document in March before the government stepped up its anti-trafficking campaign.
Whether the US took into consideration the government's most recent efforts remains to be seen, he said.
The government must continue to pay attention to halting human trafficking as it is a human rights concern. It should not try to satisfy the demands of particular countries but tackle the problem for its own sake.
The US State Department downgraded Thailand from Tier 2 to Tier 3 on June 20 last year, about a month after the military coup. The report said Thailand had failed to tackle human trafficking on many fronts, such as failing to enforce the law, arrest and prosecute the main players behind the networks, to take action against officials who are involved, or who turn a blind eye to trafficking.
