Thailand arrests two on human trafficking charges News
Thailand arrests two on human trafficking charges

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation [official website] announced [press release, in Thai] Wednesday that they have arrested two men accused of playing a significant role in a human trafficking ring. The two men were allegedly part of a group that kidnapped workers and sold them as slaves to fishing boat operators. They will face human trafficking and arbitrary detention charges under Thailand’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act [text, PDF].

Human trafficking remains a significant problem in Thailand and other parts of the world. In May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called on the Thai government to authorize a UN-assisted inquiry [JURIST report] into human trafficking in the country. In March UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to modern slavery and human trafficking [JURIST report] during remarks at the unveiling of The Ark of Return, Memorial to the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Earlier that month, UN human rights expert Maria Grazia Giammarinaro urged the Malaysian government to make improvements to its efforts to combat human trafficking [JURIST report]. Approximately 36 million people in the world live in a form of modern slavery [JURIST report], the Global Slavery Index (GSI) [advocacy website] reported [text, PDF] in November.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

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