YANGON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar registered a total of 206 human trafficking cases in 2018, in which 317 people including 25 children were victimized, the Anti-Trafficking Police Force said on Friday.

A total of 598 suspects were taken action in the connection and Yangon region topped the areas where human trafficking mostly occurred during the year with 55 cases, followed by Shan state with 54 cases and 27 cases in Mandalay region.

Forced marriage was blamed for the main cause of human trafficking in the country, followed by forced prostitution, labor exploitation or forced labor, illegal adoption and illegal surrogacy.

Myanmar government has set up a liaison office for anti-human trafficking with its counterpart in China and Thailand while participating in cooperation with six countries in the Mekong region and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

According to the 2005 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law, people who smuggle women and children are sentenced to at least 10 years or up to life sentence or fine. Money or property received through trafficking will be confiscated by the government under that law.