DSI coordinates with Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on issues related to human trafficking and human smuggling

On February 1, 2024, at 10:00 AM, in Meeting Room 1 on the first floor of the Department of Special Investigation building, Police Captain Thinavudth Silapat, Director of Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime, assigned Mr. Somroek Tangkharawakhun, Deputy Director of Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime, to welcome Mr. Paul Huston, Police Liaison Officer/Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada, and a delegation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stationed in Thailand. The meeting also included Police Major Siriwish Chantechasitkul, Director of Bureau of Human Trafficking, Mr. Khomkanit Phonghirun, Director of Transnational Crime Division 1, and Ms. Karnapat Kornkaew, a Special Case Inquiry Official from Transnational Crime Division  2. The meeting provided for the opportunity to discuss, exchange information, and share experiences related to the issues of illegal immigration and human trafficking.

The officers from the Department of Special Investigation and the RCMP discussed various issues, focusing on the situation of human trafficking in Thailand, the mission to assist victims, and the connection to crimes related to deception via the internet or phone that involve forced labor, often based around the border areas of Thailand. This problem is of significant concern and is prioritized by law enforcement agencies in multiple countries.

In addition, discussions also covered offenses related to commercial surrogacy, which could lead to the exploitation of children born from surrogacy arrangements, such as organ trafficking, prostitution, and forced labor. They also addressed illegal immigration through the falsification of travel documents, a practice that often serves as a precursor to other crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and economic crimes.

The meeting between the RCMP officers and the Department of Special Investigation officials, focusing on human trafficking and human smuggling, led to a collaboration involving the exchange of information on perpetrators and technical cooperation. The RCMP will provide ongoing support for training programs in intelligence analysis to the officers of the Department of Special Investigation.