Human trafficking and the attendant exploitation of refugees and economic migrants long predates the current military regime in Thailand and is a serious governance issue. The Global Slavery Index places it near the top of its rankings for countries failing to combat slavery, at 44th out of 167 states for which data is available. The organization estimates that half a million people in Thailand are held in bondage, mostly in the garment, fishing, and sex industries. In 2014, the U.S. relegated Thailand to it’s tier three blacklist of countries failing to tackle the slave trade after successive warnings went unheeded.

The slavery issue is partially the fault of geography: By land Thailand borders several deeply impoverished countries, including Laos and Cambodia, but also wealthier Malaysia, a popular destination for migrants. It also lies on the sea-routes for people-smuggling rings operating from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Relatively well off but politically turbulent, the troubled southeast Asian state is a source, destination, and transition country for modern slavery. The trade victimizes Thai citizens as well as foreigners. Nor is Thailand unique in its neighborhood in having a slavery problem. As the Thai government has cracked down in the south, local papers have reported allegations that criminal syndicates have simply relocated their camps to the Malaysian side of the border.

Read entire article: The Diplomat