Free Thailand July 2014 | Page 14

Child Slavery, Sex Slaves, Sea Slaves, Army Slaves, Political Slaves General Prayuth A new U.N. treaty punishing perpetrators of forced labor passed Wednesday in a meeting of the 185 nations that comprise the International Labor Organization (ILO). While a handful of Gulf states abstained. Thailand’s new military regime voted against the measure to stop modern slavery but after couple of days on Friday, they reversed their decision on the heels of statements of shock and outrage from the international community and the fear that Thailand may be punished for allowing that exploitation. The country has been on human trafficking watch list for the past four years and without major improvements, it would be dropped to the lowest rung, Tier 3, joining the ranks of North Korea, Syria, Iran and Zimbabwe. A downgrade could lead that Thailand loose certain forms of foreign support and exchange programs as well as oppose assistance from international financial institutions such as the World Bank. The involvement of corrupt officials appears to be widespread, g&