DSI welcomed the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Thailand on a courtesy visit on the Minister of Justice to express gratitude for assisting Ugandans who were deceived into illegal work in a neighboring country

On April 1, 2024, Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong, the Minister of Justice, welcomed Ms. Betty Oyella Bigombe, the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Thailand, and her delegation at the reception room of the Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Justice building. The welcoming and discussion session included Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Acting Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation, Police Captain Thinavudth Silapat, Director of Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime, Police Major Siriwish Chantechasitkul Director of the Bureau of Human Trafficking, Ms. Nareeluck Phaichayaphum, Director of the International Human Rights Division, Rights and liberties Protection Department, and Ms. Athitya Thongboon, Director of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice. 

The discussion was initiated by the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Thailand, located in Kuala Lumpur, which sent humanitarian request to the Ministry of Justice for assistance for over 30 Ugandan citizens. These individuals were detained, restrained, or held against their will and forced to work without pay for extended hours in the mountainous regions of Shan State, Republic of the Union of Myanmar. On March 30, 2024, the Ministry of Justice, through the Department of Special Investigation, coordinated a rescue operation with the assistance of a DSI’s Civil Society Network in collaboration with the Education Development Foundation Without Borders, Border Patrol, Ratchmanu Special Unit, administrative authorities, and police officers from the Phop Phra Police Station. This operation successfully rescued 23 Ugandan citizens who expressed a desire to return to their country via Thailand, in the Chong Khaep area, Phop Phra District, Tak Province. Following this incident, the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Thailand expressed gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided to Ugandan nationals and acknowledged the importance of implementing preventative measures for Ugandan workers who are deceived into illegal work in neighboring countries, with Thailand serving as a transit route in the future.

On this occasion, the Minister of Justice stated that he is pleased to cooperate with the Republic of Uganda to prevent and suppress human trafficking in all forms, aiming to reach the root causes and perpetrators. He has assigned the Human Trafficking Bureau of the Department of Special Investigation to proceed with related actions for the sake of justice and humanitarian principles.