Thailand needs neighbours’ help to stamp out slavery at sea in its multibillion-dollar fishing industry, says rights activist

Thai fishing vessels are increasingly registering in nearby countries, reportedly to avoid scrutiny of their treatment of migrant workers

Thailand has introduced a raft of measures – from contracts for workers to tightened and new laws – to clean up the sector since 2015

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Child labourers found working at a shrimp shed during a raid in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. Photo: AP

Published: 5:26pm, 5 Jun 2019Updated: 12:01pm, 6 Jun 2019

Thailand’s crackdown on exploitation and slavery in its multibillion-dollar fishing industry will only succeed if its neighbours step up and adopt anti-trafficking laws, according to a labour rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

Thai fishing vessels are increasingly registering in nearby countries to avoid scrutiny of their treatment of migrant workers as Thailand boosts its laws on human trafficking, said local campaigner Patima Tungpuchayakul.

Unlike Thai boats, foreign vessels are not required to undergo checks by officials when they enter or leave ports in Thailand, said the activist, who featured in a 2018 documentary Ghost Fleet about workers trapped in slavery in the industry.

Thailand has introduced a raft of measures – from contracts for workers to tightened and new laws – to clean up the sector since 2015, when investigations revealed widespread abuses and the European Union threatened to ban imports from the country.

“Nowadays there are many Burmese vessels unloading fish in Thailand, when three or four years ago they didn’t even exist,” Tungpuchayakul said ahead of Thailand’s anti-trafficking day on June 5.