Pol Lt Gen Prachuap Wongsuk, Assistant Commissioner-General and Acting Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), said during the opening ceremony on Tuesday (Sept 24) that the Thai government has long prioritised the prevention and suppression of human trafficking and has declared it a national agenda.
Pol Lt Gen Prachuap said the centre is an example of this, reports the Bangkok Post.
The centre was established following the 2022 National Referral Mechanism, which is a guideline to facilitate the operations of agencies in cooperating, sharing information, providing referral assistance and protection for victims of human trafficking and forced labour or accessing primary support services in line with human rights principles and international rules.
The RTP, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, and the Ministry of Labour will jointly run and manage the facility.
Pol Lt Gen Prachuap said the centre serves as a temporary shelter for victims.
The facility has bedding, separate male and female toilets and shower rooms with toiletries, spaces for dining and laundry, a basic security system, and counselling rooms.
“The centre is an important effort of the government in preventing and suppressing human trafficking,” he said, adding the facility will also help build more confidence among other countries and international organisations in Thailand’s efforts to prevent and eradicate human trafficking.
“The Thai government has great intentions to raise its human trafficking ranking from the current Tier 2 to Tier 1 [in the US TIP report] in the future,” he noted.
Thailand Victim Identification and Referral Centres will also be opened in other provinces around the country, including Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Chon Buri.