The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has vowed to intensify crackdowns on human trafficking, with a sharp focus on child abuse, sexual exploitation and crimes committed through online platforms.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, deputy inspector-general and deputy spokesperson of the RTP, said on Thursday at the police headquarters that authorities had elevated anti-trafficking operations through the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Centre.
Last year alone, police handled 279 human trafficking cases, arrested 366 suspects and assisted 317 victims, he said. A breakdown of the cases showed that sexual exploitation dominated with 246 cases, followed by 33 forced labour cases.
Of particular concern were 15 cases involving child labour exploitation, Pol Lt Gen Trairong said. Minors made up 213 victims, while online-related trafficking cases reached 170, representing more than half of all cases recorded.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong said police would press ahead with a “serious and comprehensive” campaign targeting child sexual abuse, sextortion and online crimes, alongside public awareness.
The Mirror Foundation’s Missing Persons Data Centre warned that there is a new trafficking pattern involving teenagers aged 15 to 18.
At least 19 youths were lured into scam operations in neighbouring countries, often through online job advertisements offering unrealistically high pay or through fabricated personal relationships, the foundation said.
Victims were later confined, deprived of freedom and forced to work under threat, it said. Six Thai children remain stranded abroad and are still awaiting assistance to return home, the foundation noted.
Last year, the foundation recorded 265 missing children cases, comprising 96 boys and 169 girls. Of these, 47 remain unaccounted for. Most cases involved runaways, followed by custody disputes and scam-related recruitment. Eight cases involved the abduction of young children.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong cautioned against overseas job offers or online tasks promising high returns, warning that such schemes often lead to passport confiscation, physical abuse and coercion into transnational criminal networks.
Police urged families to report missing persons immediately without waiting 24 hours and called on parents to take extra precautions during public events, including National Children’s Day tomorrow, to prevent children from becoming separated or targeted.
