CONVICTION IN ANOMA SHRIMP FACTORY LABOR TRAFFICKING CASE

UNCLAS BANGKOK 003016 Department for DRL/IL MJunk, G/TIP CChan-Downer, and EAP/MLS DRichelsoph DOL/ILAB for Brandie Sasser SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ELAB PHUM KTIP TH SUBJECT: CONVICTION IN ANOMA SHRIMP FACTORY LABOR TRAFFICKING CASE Sensitive But Unclassified. For Official Use Only. REF A: BANGKOK 818 REF B: BANGKOK 499 REF B: 08 BANGKOK 2836 ¶1. (SBU) On November 26, a Thai criminal court convicted and sentenced the two defendants in the forced labor-related human trafficking (TIP) case involving the "Anoma" shrimp-peeling factory. According to the case prosecutor with whom we spoke November 27, the judge sentenced one offender to five years in prison and a 1 million baht fine, and sentenced the second offender to eight years in prison and a 2 million baht fine. (Note: the case involves the March 10, 2008 raid on the factory in Samut Sakhon province, and resultant identification of 73 TIP victims. End Note.). ¶2. (SBU) While all details regarding the conviction are not yet available, the defendants were convicted under relevant sections of Thailand's Immigration Act and "Measures in Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Women and Children Act," which preceded Thailand's comprehensive human trafficking law (the new trafficking law could not be used since it came into force in June 5, 2008 and the Anoma case preceded it). The prosecutor, who promised to provide us with full case details in the coming weeks, explained one defendant received a harsher sentence due to her denial of all charges, as opposed to the other who pled guilty to some. The defendants have one month to appeal the decision and may remain free on bail in the meantime. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: While not Thailand's first conviction in a labor trafficking case, the ruling is significant as it is the first human trafficking conviction involving Thailand's fisheries-related industries, to include shrimp processing. Thai government authorities, civil society, and international organizations have been increasingly active in their efforts to combat human trafficking in the sector, especially in light of the international attention on the problem in recent years. Thai law enforcement authorities continue to make human trafficking-related arrests in fisheries-related industries, and the prosecution of the Ranya Paew shrimp-processing case continues (ref B). As such, we remain hopeful that this conviction is the first of similar successful prosecutions to come, however long they may take to achieve. End Comment.