Joint Press Statement of the Third Meeting of Japan—Thailand Joint Task Force on Counter Trafficking in Persons (JT-CTP), 9 March 2011.
1. The Third Meeting of the Japan-Thailand Joint Task Force on Counter Trafficking in Persons (JT-CTP) was held on 9 March 2011 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok. The Meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Buskorn Prugsapongse, Deputy Director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and Mr. Yoshiya Muto, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
2. Participants from the Thai side included representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Royal Thai Police, the Immigration Bureau, the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo. Participants from the Japanese side included representatives from the Cabinet Secretariat, the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Embassy of Japan in Bangkok.
3. Since its inception in 2006, the JT-CTP has served as a joint mechanism for Thailand and Japan to discuss and enhance cooperation on anti-trafficking in persons, focusing on prevention, law enforcement and protection. As a compact mechanism consisting of core government agencies concerned, the JT-CTP provides a forum for relevant agencies of both sides to discuss and exchange views, as well as to carry out their cooperation in a comprehensive manner. It is also the first bilateral cooperation mechanism Japan has regarding counter trafficking in persons.
4. The Meeting shared a common concern regarding trafficking in persons as a transnational problem and recognized the importance of cooperation based on mutual benefit between countries of origin, transit and destination. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to pursue their bilateral cooperation under the JT-CTP to effectively combat the human trafficking problem.
5. The importance of cooperation to protect victims, particularly vulnerable groups such as women and children, was highlighted. In order to provide clear guidance for relevant authorities of both sides, the JT-CTP has drafted and endorsed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on Protection, Assistance, Repatriation and Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking in Persons. This is the first SOP on protection and assistance of victim of human trafficking that Thailand has with a destination country. This SOP aims to drive smooth multi-agency cooperation, at both policy and operational levels, towards a more systematic phase. The two sides also agreed to deepen their cooperation through implementation of the said SOP.
6. The Meeting reviewed cooperation between Japan and Thailand and joint activities related to anti-trafficking efforts during 2007 — 2010, and discussed actions to be taken in the future with a view to setting out the JT-CTP Action Plan for 2011 — 2012.
7. Both sides also updated the Meeting on relevant laws and regulations enacted after 2007 (the 2nd Meeting), as well as their implementation of counter-trafficking measures. The Meeting noted the enactment of Thailand’s comprehensive Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act B.E. 2551 (2008) and the revision of Japan’s 2004 Action Plan of Measures to Combat Trafficking in Persons to the 2009 Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
8. Japan will host the Fourth Meeting of the JT-CTP.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th