On 28^th and 29^th of June, a workshop on human trafficking and how to prevent it, was being held at the Khao Lak Sea View Resort, Phang Nga province, southern Thailand.

The workshop was jointly hosted by the Phang Nga Provincial Government Anti-Human Trafficking Department, the Foundation for Education and Development (FED) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Ko Moe Wei, organizing staff from FED, said that local Thai and Burmese people came together to cooperate on an anti-human trafficking project, also dealing with the prevention of follow up problems. These were the main objectives of the workshop, he explained.

Officers from local and national authorities, NGO staff, leading committee members of Thai social welfare organizations, and elders from the local communities were invited to attend the workshop.

On each of the two days, a different host presented the program. On the first day, this was an officer from the Phang Nga Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking Department. On the second day, officers from the Kurabui Police Station and the Beach Safety Police were leading the discussions. Presenting real incidents in slide shows, they also discussed the reasons for why human trafficking exists and worked out possible strategies to prevent it.

The Foundation for Education and Development (FED) is regularly conducting workshops, hoping to stimulate an exchange of knowledge and ideas. This year, a Legal Aid workshop has already been held, as well as this Anti-Human Trafficking Workshop, which was the second workshop so far in 2010.