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Japan to probe human trafficking in Philippines, Thailand
September 7, 2004
The Japanese government will send a fact-finding team on human trafficking to
Thailand and the Philippines, Kyodo news said Wednesday.
The report quoted Japan's foreign ministry officials as saying that the teams
will be sent to the two Southeast Asian countries because most victims of human
trafficking come from there.
Members of the governmental team plan to talk with local government officials
about how to deal with the problem. They would also interview members of local
nongovernmental organizations about the current situation.
In a 2003 report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime based in Bangkok
said Thailand is a major regional hub for trafficking – a source, destination,
transit and facilitation center all at once. The report noted that Thailand has
a "thriving and unfettered commercial sex sector". The country is also a source
for mostly young female victims trafficked to the US, UK, Australia, European
destinations, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan and Taiwan.
The same report said the Philippines is a source, transit and destination
country for cross-border trafficking of young women to Singapore, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Thailand, Macau, Australia, US, UK, other European destinations and
the Middle East.
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INTERVIEW
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8-27-2004
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human trafficking laws to be toughened
8-17-2004
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