Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodia and Thailand have signed an agreement on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on law enforcement cooperation against human trafficking, according to a statement from Cambodia's National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT) on August 29.

The deal was inked between Cambodian Interior Ministry Secretary of State and NCCT permanent vice-chair Chou Bun Eng and Ramrung Worawat, deputy permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security at the end of a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand last week.

The meeting was organised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the statement said, adding that the SOPs will serve as guidelines for closer cooperation between the two countries in the fight against human trafficking.

The discussions progressed well, with the intention of protecting the rights and interests of victims, the statement said.

Cambodia cracked down on 359 human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases in 2021, a significant rise from only 155 cases in 2020, Bun Eng said, adding that some 538 human trafficking suspects were sent to court, as 1,577 victims were rescued last year./.