The Royal Thai Police said its Anti-Human Trafficking Centre coordinated the arrest of 366 suspects last year, with 317 victims assisted or rescued, as online-linked cases continued to rise.
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) announced on Sunday that its Anti-Human Trafficking Centre (AHTCC) coordinated the arrest of 366 suspects in human trafficking cases last year, while 317 victims were assisted or rescued.
Pol Gen Thawatchai Pitaneelabutr, deputy national police chief and AHTCC director, said the centre received complaints in 279 human trafficking cases last year, broken down as:
- 246 cases involving forced sex work
- 33 cases involving forced labour
Of these, 15 cases involved victims forced to work for call-centre gangs, Thawatchai added.
He said most of the victims — 213 — were children and young people.
Thawatchai added that last year’s figures showed 170 cases involved crimes committed through online channels, indicating that traffickers have increasingly used online platforms to carry out their offences.
He said the centre would step up proactive operations to prevent more people from falling victim to trafficking networks.
He added that the RTP also places importance on the national referral mechanism to screen victims and distinguish them from gang members.