US Upgrades Malaysia in Trafficking Report: Boost for TPP, Blow to Rights?
The United States upgraded Malaysia in its much-awaited annual report on human trafficking Monday in a move that paves the way for the completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) but will be read by some as a blow to rights.
Last year, Malaysia was placed on the lowest tier (Tier 3) of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, meant for governments who neither fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking nor are making significant efforts to do so. But this year’s report upgraded Malaysia to the Tier 2 Watch List meant for governments that are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with the standards.
“The Government of Malaysia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so,” the report argued.
The move is significant as it impacts the TPP, a mammoth free trade agreement which groups 12 countries including the United States and Malaysia and represents nearly 40 percent of global GDP. A provision in a trade bill passed by Congress in June bars Malaysia and other Tier 3 countries from fast-tracked trade deals with the United States like the TPP. By upgrading Malaysia to the Tier 2 Watch List, the United States has effectively removed yet another barrier to the completion of the agreement – the Obama administration’s signature trade initiative.
But the decision to upgrade Malaysia – widely expected for weeks – will also anger human rights groups and some lawmakers. It comes following a discovery in May of mass graves in jungle camps in Malaysia used by suspected smugglers of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
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http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/us-upgrades-malaysia-in-trafficking-report-boost-for-tpp-blow-to-rights/
