Thai police showcase SHIELD anti-trafficking database at Bangkok meeting

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) on Monday (January 12, 2026) showcased a new database system aimed at combating online scams and human trafficking during an international meeting in Bangkok.

SHIELD system unveiled at high-level RTP meeting

The RTP presented its SCAM & Human Trafficking Information Exchange and Linked Database (SHIELD) during the High-Level Meeting on Combating Trafficking for Forced Criminality in Cyber Scam Compounds at RTP headquarters.

RTP representatives at the meeting included Pol Lt Gen Surapong Thanomjit, deputy national police chief and deputy director of the RTP’s Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, and Pol Lt Gen Atthasit Sudsanguan, RTP chief inspector and chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking Operations Division.

Ambassadors, agencies and 18 countries join talks

The meeting was attended by ambassadors and representatives of law enforcement agencies and 18 international organisations. While some joined in person, others participated via teleconference.

Participating countries included the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Nepal, Brunei, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, India and Indonesia.

International organisations in attendance included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

How SHIELD supports cross-border investigations

During the meeting, the RTP demonstrated SHIELD as a platform for recording and analysing information on online scam and human trafficking cases, to support faster information exchange among international law enforcement agencies for more efficient investigations and legal action.

The RTP also provided an update on human trafficking linked to cyber scams in Myanmar and Cambodia, noting that call-centre gangs often focus on luring victims in developed markets, including the United States and parts of Europe, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

Police say meeting should drive “more concrete” cooperation

On Tuesday (January 13, 2026), Pol Gen Thatchai Pitanilabut, director of the RTP Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, said the meeting should lead to more concrete information-sharing among international law enforcement agencies on human trafficking.

He said stronger cooperation would help prevent more people from being lured and forced to work for call-centre gangs, while also supporting more effective investigations leading to arrests of gang members.