Protection of the Rights and Liberty of the Accused under the Human Trafficking Procedure Act B.E. 2551

Abstract

Thailand classifies a human trafficking offense as a special case with a policy to strictly enforce the laws to suppress such offense and to render immediate and effective assistance to the victims. As such offense is a serious felony and involved transnational organized crimes which seriously undermines human rights and threatens liberty social integrity and sustainable development of the country. Should no urgent measures be taken to tackle such problems, not only political and economic stability and national security are prejudiced but also regional and international adversed impacts are left. To effective prevalent and suppress human trafficking and to ensure fair and expeditious court procedures, a specialized procedural law is require for such purposes. For these reasons, the Human Trafficking Procedure Act B.E 2559 was enacted. As its Act contains, provisions different from those  of the Criminal Procedure Code which ensures protection of the rights and liberty of the accused it is the duty of the State to provide protection for the people whether as the “injured persons” or the “accused”on the one hand, the Human Trafficking Procedure Act B.E. 2559 is intended to suppress human trafficking but on the other hand the same Act might affect the rights of the accused whose rights and liberty are required to be protected as well