Thai police are collaborating with their Chinese counterparts to combat human trafficking and call center scams originating from China.
On Saturday, ATPD chief Pol Maj Gen Sarut Kwaengsopha visited Kunming in China’s southern Yunnan province. He met with Pol Maj Gen Kong Yiping, deputy chief of the Kunming Immigration Office, to observe the performance of the local immigration police. Pol Maj Gen Sarut noted that technology has reduced the workload by about 80%.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau, has instructed law enforcement agents in Thailand to crack down on call center scams. He also directed the ATPD to address the issue of human trafficking in northern Myanmar, which serves as a base for some call center gangs affecting both Thailand and China.
Pol Maj Gen Sarut discussed the human trafficking issue with Pol Col Thatchaphong Sarawanangkun, the consul at the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Kunming. He mentioned that China lacks a specific human trafficking law, but the Thai consulate is monitoring scam gangs and tracking 27 human trafficking suspects who fled from Thailand to China.
Chinese authorities have agreed to cooperate in combating prostitution and child labor. This decision follows reports of Thai teenagers working illegally in Kunming. Pol Maj Gen Sarut expressed concern over the exploitation of young Thai girls, noting that elderly Chinese men tend to hire them for marriage and later abandon them, necessitating urgent action and arrests of wrongdoers.
Pol Maj Gen Sarut also met with You Xiaowen, acting secretary-general of the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Centre (LMLECC), and Jiang Shui, deputy director-general of LMLECC. The meeting emphasized the cooperation among China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand in tackling transnational crime in the Mekong region.
LMLECC has compiled a comprehensive online database accessible to member countries for records on drug trafficking, call center scams, arms smuggling, and human trafficking. Mr. Jiang stated that LMLECC has intensified joint patrols along borders and enhanced safety measures with modern equipment.
