A media camp for youth from across the region will focus on stories of human trafficking and online scam gangs exploiting victims through cross-border schemes.
The camp, being held this weekend in Nonthaburi, brings together 60 youth ambassadors from Thailand and other Asean countries.
National police chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch on Friday assigned his deputy Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, also the director of the RTP's Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, to preside over the opening ceremony of the "Anti-Scam and Forced Criminality Youth Ambassador Program: Media Camp" at the Immigration Bureau's Immigration Training Centre in Nonthaburi.
The programme, jointly held by the Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, the US Embassy in Thailand and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) until Sunday, seeks to educate young people about the growing connection between online scam operations and human trafficking.
Authorities say criminal networks lure victims abroad with fake job offers before forcing them to work in scam compounds under abusive conditions, affecting the security, economy and public safety in many countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pol Gen Thatchai said prevention is just as important as law enforcement operations. He said scam and trafficking syndicates depend heavily on human resources, and public awareness can weaken these networks by reducing the number of potential victims.
More than 1,400 applicants aged 18-30 from Thailand and other Asean countries applied to join the programme, but only 60 participants were selected. The camp includes survivors' testimonies, workshops on storytelling and presentations of anti-trafficking awareness campaigns.
