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 Prayuth, an army general who took power in a coup in May, said he
would implement a raft of measures to stop human trade in
prostitution, child trafficking, forced begging and in the fishing
industry.
He called for legal action against anyone involved to be expedited,
in particular cases against government officials.
The move comes after the U.S. State Department in June named
Thailand as one of the world's worst centers for human trafficking,
saying it was "not making significant efforts" and was a source,
destination and transit country for forced labor.
The State Department said most victims of trafficking in Thailand
are from neighboring countries and forced, coerced, or defrauded
into labor, with "tens of thousands" exploited in the commercial sex
trade, on fishing boats or as domestic servants.
 A statement from the Thai government said the prime minister held a
meeting last week to set out the challenges ahead including
protecting victims and witnesses, working with the private sector
and other organizations, and raising awareness.
"Discussions sought to increase the effectiveness of human
trafficking prevention and suppression measures so as to yield
tangible results in the first phase, or within one year," said the
government statement.
"The Prime Minister also instructed concerned agencies to look out
for officials suspected of being involved with illegal immigration
and human trafficking and if caught to swiftly and resolutely
proceed with legal procedures against them."
Thai police and officials last month reported that fishermen in
southern Thailand were converting their boats to carry humans as the
smuggling of Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar had
become so lucrative.
Prayuth will head a committee on human trafficking that will be
divided into five sub-committees focused on the fishing industry,
child labor, forced and migrant workers, women's issues, and legal
affairs and public relations.
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Each committee will submit a plan of action to Prayuth by Jan. 7 and
then update him with monthly progress reports.
The prime minister called for prompt action on legal cases involving
human trafficking, saying all agencies should expedite procedures
"efficiently, fairly and transparently, in particular cases
involving government officials".
"The Prime Minister also called for agencies to enforce the law and
pursue investigations to reach influential figures and criminal
masterminds," the statement said.
Prayuth outlined plans for a campaign to publicize a hotline to
report suspected cases of human trafficking and corruption.
While numbers of people trafficked are hard to know, a global
slavery index by Australia human rights group Walk Free Foundation
estimates almost 36 million people were living as slaves, trafficked
into brothels, forced into manual labor, victims of debt bondage or
born into servitude.
(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
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