Speaking at a meeting of officials involved in efforts to prevent and suppress human trafficking, he said the initial progress report had been submitted to the US on January 19. The deputy PM also praised the officials for their progress in the work and called on them to seek sustainable ways to eradicate the problem.

Prawit also called on the concerned officials to bring about concrete results, especially when it comes to prosecuting state officials involved in human trafficking, and strictly enforce the law.

He said all human-trafficking cases should be wrapped up within a year, pointing out that the practice causes huge damage to the country. He said measures to protect human and labour rights must be improved to meet international standards.

Prawit will call another meeting next Monday on the TIP report.

Thailand was downgraded to Tier 3 in 2014 due to labour abuse and human trafficking in the seafood sector.