Corruption fuels transnational organized crime & human trafficking in Asia

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[Facilitator's note: Thank you to Shervin Majlessi, Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser, UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, for sharing this information.]

Recent articles in South China Morning Post (SCMP) and Bangkok Post show how corruption fuels transnational organized crime and human trafficking in Asia.

"The power of illegal money flows [in Asia] that are larger than the size of some national economies can hardly be overstated," said the SCMP article. "Not surprisingly, this money is used to bribe officials, perpetuating and expanding corruption throughout the region."

Citing an interview with assistant army chief Phaiboon Khumchaya, head of legal and judicial affairs of Thailand's military government, the Bangkok Post noted that "inadequate enforcement of anti-human trafficking laws and corruption among authorities assigned to maintain the laws are to blame for the US deciding to downgrade Thailand to the lowest level, or Tier 3, in its Trafficking in Persons report."

Read the op-ed by Jeremy Douglas in South China Morning Post and the news report by staff reporters in Bangkok Post.

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