Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek stated that Thailand and the United States had agreed to step up cooperation to suppress transnational crime networks, online scams, and human trafficking links.

Both sides held talks on the issue when a Thai delegation, led by Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelaboot of the Royal Thai Police, visited Washington, D.C., from 21 to 25 April 2026. The delegation also comprised representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Ministry of Labor.

Thailand and the United States underscored the urgent need to work together against online scam networks in Southeast Asia, which have caused significant harm to people worldwide, including Americans, and are linked to human trafficking. American victims, in particular, suffered damage of more than US$6 billion, or about 190 billion baht, in the past year.

Ms. Rachada said that the U.S. side commended Thailand for establishing “Warroom IAC,” which can integrate information with financial institutions and mobile network operators, leading to the freezing of accounts and the rapid and efficient recovery of assets for victims. Thailand had also worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and this cooperation led to the arrest of wrongdoers and the seizure of a large amount of assets.

She said that the Royal Thai Police was preparing to launch the “SHIELD” system in June 2026 as an information exchange hub for more than 10 member countries to effectively prevent and suppress call-center gangs and human-trafficking networks in this region.

She believed that, with serious operations against transnational crime, Thailand could set a goal of upgrading its status in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report from Tier 2 to Tier 1. This would promote the country’s favorable image and create confidence in its economic, investment, and tourism situation.

The Government Spokesperson also said that the Government had included the prevention and suppression of technology-related crimes as part of the national agenda. It recently confiscated the assets, worth more than 20 billion baht, linked to Mr. Ben Smith and associates, while dismantling a large call-center gang along the Thai-Cambodian border, where over 10,000 forced labor victims of several nationalities were found.