On 13 May 2026, H.E. Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered opening remarks at the “Regional Dialogue on the Nexus between Transnational Crime and Human Rights: Exploring Consular Assistance for Victims of Trafficking and Forced Criminality from Scam Compounds in ASEAN,” under the theme “Scam Operation and Security Challenges in Southeast Asia,” held at Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse, Bangkok, from 13–14 May 2026.

The Dialogue provided a platform for participants to exchange experiences, discuss operational and policy challenges, and share good practices on victim identification, protection, consular assistance, repatriation, reintegration, and inter-agency coordination. Discussions also addressed impacts of scam compounds and forced criminality on human rights, with emphasis on the non-punishment principle, victim-centred approaches, and strengthening regional cooperation to combat scam networks and support victims and survivors across ASEAN.

In his opening remarks, the Vice Minister reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to working closely with relevant stakeholders and international partners to combat transnational crime, enhancing regional and global cooperation to strengthen legal frameworks, information sharing, victim protection, and safe repatriation. He highlighted that, to date, Thailand has facilitated the repatriation of over 18,000 foreign victims from 44 countries worldwide. Also, he stressed Thailand’s proposal to ASEAN to further strengthen integrated regional efforts, based on human rights principles and victim-centred protection, to build a safer and more sustainable region for all.

The forum is a part of this year’s priority programme of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), initiated by Assistant Professor Dr. Bhanubhatra Jittiang, Thailand’s Representative to AICHR, and was jointly organized with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to promote cooperation and bring this initiative to fruition.