Thailand's top anti-trafficking cop has vowed to boost training for police nationwide to better respond to a rising number of cases of sexual exploitation and forced labor outside Bangkok.

People walk down the Soi Cowboy touristic street after the reopening of bars as restrictions to halt the spread of COVID-19 are eased in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Police lieutenant general Jaruvat Vaisaya, director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Center under the Royal Thai Police, said Thailand had a shortage of officers based outside the capital with expertise in investigating cases of human trafficking.

"We have found an increase in cases in provincial areas where we couldn't send our staff [from Bangkok] in time," Jaruvat told Reuters in an interview ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Thursday. 

About three-quarters of 283 trafficking cases nationwide in 2019 were investigated outside Bangkok - up from two-thirds of 301 cases in 2018 - according to government statistics.

"Officers in general don't know how to handle [trafficking cases]... some still can't identify victims," Jaruvat said. "In the past, we conducted simple training, and mistakes happened."

Jaruvat said 150 police officers and civil servants from across the country had this week started a training course to help them better identify and deal with victims of trafficking.

Thailand has 1,640 specialist anti-trafficking officers nationwide. 

The country secured 194 trafficking convictions in 2019.


Newspaper headline: Thailand to tackle human trafficking