Supporting the Government of Thailand to Improve Migration and Border Management Structures in the Midst of Rapid ASEAN Integration

The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 marked a major milestone for the regional economic integration agenda in ASEAN and has driven significant change in the job market and economic landscape for all countries in the region, including Thailand. It is simultaneously anticipated that the enhanced economic connectivity of neighbouring countries will render the region more vulnerable to the threats of transnational organized crime, including human trafficking and people smuggling.

This project has been borne from the knowledge that threats of people and goods smuggling aided by transnational crime networks are processes that will continue to pose challenges to the Thai Immigration Bureau (TIB) and related agencies. Such threats continue to evolve as a direct impact of the AEC facilitating greater interconnectivity, cohesion and transport links within ASEAN.

In response to the aforementioned challenges, the project proposes to conduct a rigorous, context-driven border and migration management assessment, to provide a complete overview of the migration management structure of Thailand and enable the development and delivery of productive capacity-building activities based upon identified needs and requirements. The assessment will encompass tailored recommendations for the TIB and will serve as an evidence-based platform from which pragmatic and relevant interventions will be conceptualized and implemented by the Government of Thailand to better refine border operations and inter/intra agency cooperation to combat transnational organized crime.