U.S. downgrades Myanmar, raises Thailand in human trafficking report

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry holds a copy of the 2016 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report during the TIP Heroes Ceremony at the State Department in Washington, June 30, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has placed Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Sudan and Haiti on its list of worst human trafficking offenders, drawing guarded praise from some human rights groups following criticism that last year’s State Department report was politicized.

While more than two dozen countries were downgraded in the closely watched Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report announced on Thursday, Thailand was removed from the bottom rung despite what the State Department described as “widespread forced labour” in the country’s vital seafood industry.