The government’s self-congratulation over Thailand retaining its Tier 2 ranking in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is misplaced. Remaining at Tier 2 — for the fourth consecutive year — is not an achievement. It’s an alarm bell signalling that the country is standing still while crime spreads beneath its feet.
Yes, Thailand has stayed off the Tier 3 blacklist, unlike some of its neighbours. But the TIP Report makes clear that these are only partial gains. Forced labour and online scams — fuelled by deep-rooted corruption in Thai officialdom — remain a growing blind spot. Those words should sting.
Thailand continues to serve as a key transit hub for human traffickers and scam syndicates operating out of Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. These transnational crimes thrive because corruption runs deep from top to bottom.
Unlike in the past, these scamming empires are no longer run solely by criminal gangs relying on local mafiosi and warlords to traffic victims. Their masterminds have emerged from the underworld to rub shoulders with the rich and well-connected, with tentacles stretching into politics, the police, and business. They don’t just exploit people underground — they seek to expand their dark empires above ground.
In parliament last month, People’s Party MPs Rangsiman Rome and Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn warned that scam syndicates linked to networks in Cambodia have made inroads into the Thai economy — buying sizeable shares in strategic sectors and hobnobbing with local politicians and business elites. Such accusations might sound like a movie script. Sadly, the reality is far more sinister.
Last year, the US and UK imposed sanctions on Ly Yong Phat — one of Cambodia’s richest men and a leading member of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party — for his alleged involvement in forced labour, human trafficking, and online scams.
On Wednesday, the US government seized more than US$14 billion (around 454 billion baht) in bitcoin and charged the founder of a Cambodian business empire, Prince Group, with masterminding a forced-labour scam and money laundering.
Needless to say, if left unchecked, these syndicates will shape public policy and the economies of the countries in which they operate. To restore order, Thailand must strike at the roots, not the leaves. It must dismantle the networks — not just rescue the victims. A central anti-scam and anti-trafficking command centre should bring together all key agencies to share intelligence and act swiftly.
Following the money trail is essential — as is freezing assets, tracing cryptocurrency transactions, and prosecuting shell companies and front investors. Dirty money hidden behind suspicious luxury condos and so-called “foreign investments” must be exposed.
Most crucially, politicians and officials involved in these networks must be investigated. Without accountability at the top, every anti-trafficking measure is mere theatre. Internationally, to combat cybercrime and scam operations, Thailand should ratify the UN Cybercrime Convention and work closely with Interpol and other global agencies to target money laundering and financial crimes. Opening the country to dirty money and political collusion is national suicide. Thailand’s Tier 2 ranking masks a deeper systemic decay. The real test is not avoiding the blacklist — it’s proving that crime and corruption no longer run the country.