Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (2021) Volume 6 No 1, 137-146 137 Human Trafficking in Thailand: The Complex Contextual Factors Otto F. von Feigenblatt, Ed.D., Ph.D. Real Academia de Doctores de España and Mahidol University 1 https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=G84X8-sAAAAJ&hl=en Abstract: The present exploratory paper tackles the issue of human trafficking in Thailand. Southeast Asia is a region known as both a recipient and as an exporter of trafficked workers. It is important to understand the pull and the push factors making Thailand an important destination and conduit for human trafficking. The fishing and sex industries seem to be at the center of this phenomenon nevertheless the practice can also be found in rubber plantations and in some factories. A critical theory approach is applied and cultural context is provided so as to understand this complex phenomenon Keywords: human trafficking, Thailand, fishing, governance, human rights 1. Introduction The Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as the Kingdom of Siam, is strategically located at the heart of Southeast Asia (Ongsakun, Millar, Barron, & Tanratanakul, 2006; Syukri, 1985; Wyatt, 2003). With a culture that blends elements from Hinduism and Buddhism, and centuries of contact with the West, contemporary Thailand is one of the so-called Newly Industrializing Countries (Pongsudhirak, 2008; Unger, 2009). Exponential growth during the 1980s and early 1990s resulted in higher demand for unskilled labor for 3D jobs (difficult, dirty, and dangerous) such as the fishing industry and to certain extent agriculture (Unger, 2009). A disconnect between supply and demand resulted in an increase in human trafficking of workers from Myanmar and Cambodia to Thailand (Sorajjakool, 2013). There was also a concurrent increase in human trafficking from Thailand to Japan and the Middle East. It should be noted that labor scarcity is not new to the region (Mulder, 2000; Neher, 2002). Southeast Asia has had an imbalance between demand and supply of labor since classical times as evidenced by the laws enacted by the ancient Kingdom of Ayutthaya and the Khmer Empire (Wyatt, 2003). The Kingdom of Thailand had the strict Sakdina system of servitude until the nineteenth century (Ongsakun et al., 2006; Wyatt, 2003). Thus, the history of Thailand and of Southeast Asia in general is one in which labor is more valuable than land and the government has claimed a certain measure of control over this scarce resource. The present study aims to answer the following question: What are the main pull and push factors for human trafficking in Thailand? While there are many studies focusing on human trafficking in the Southeast Asian region those tend to focus on a universal human rights approach which lacks a proper contextual understanding for the culture of the region (Akaha, 2009; Bhattacharyay, 2010; Chan, 2018). 1 The author is a corresponding academician of the Real Academia de Doctores de España and a Visiting Fellow at the Department of International Relations, International College, Mahidol University, Thailand.