Thai and Laotian officials discuss border trafficking

Thai and Laotian officials met in Bangkok today to discuss trafficking along their countries’ borders, among other subjects. Last week, the 2 countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work together on a wide range of issues, among them drug and human trafficking. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, and Laotian Deputy Prime Minister Chansamone Chanyalath, also discussed illegal immigration, which is often tangled up with human trafficking in Thailand.

Thailand’s borders with its neighbours are known as places of crime. Desperate people from Laos and Myanmar are often smuggled into Thailand, hoping to get jobs there. Migrants often pay agencies for transportation and help finding work, only to be caught by Thailand’s border police.

At today’s meeting, Prawit and Chansamone discussed plans to strengthen local economies of villages along the border of the two nations. Thai and Laotian officials are looking to revive border areas that were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The officials also agreed today to exchange military officers to be trained in each country. The 2 countries now plan to work together to check for drug smuggling and illegal immigration across the border.

In addition to trafficking and migration issues, the officials also discussed further steps in economic and cultural cooperation. Thailand has agreed to continue granting scholarships for short and long medical courses to medical students from Laos.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand