Ranong, Thailand – The Fishers Rights Network (FRN) continues to demand that the Myanmar and Thai governments take immediate action to secure the release and safe return of all 31 crew members detained in the November 30th IUU fishing incident.
All fishers involved were following the directives of their employer and should not be held responsible or detained for this incident. On Monday, the Thai Defense Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs called again for the release of four Thais detained, but all fishing crew—including the 27 Burmese fishers who are legal migrant workers should be released and returned to Thailand.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident as IUU fishing is happening in other locations. At the end of December, fishers on a Thai-flagged vessel based in Trat province were arrested for fishing illegally in Cambodian waters. These fishers also remain incarcerated in Trat, and the Cambodian and Thai governments must take action to secure their release.
Poor implementation and enforcement of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188) by the Thai government is to blame for these incidents, as labor abuse and severe exploitation continue to plague the industry and have set the stage for IUU fishing to return.
“Port-in Port-Out Inspectorates (PIPO) and the Thai agencies responsible for inspecting vessels are not doing their job,” said Ye Thwe, President of the Fishers Rights Network. “Fishers have no power over where they are taken to fish, many are forced to work overtime with limited hours of rest, have their passports held by their employer, and are in debt bondage—all clear indicators of forced labor.”
Disturbingly, Thai government officials are considering rollbacks to existing laws that curtail transshipment, limit time vessels can stay out at sea, and relax already inadequate inspection procedures.
FRN calls on the Thai government to address the widespread labor rights abuses in the industry by enforcing Thai law and ILO Convention 188, ensuring the safety and fair treatment of fishers, and improving working conditions so incidents like this do not occur again. “We are ready to work with the Thai authorities to bring about meaningful reforms and ensure that the rights of all fishers are respected, but all these fishers need to be released first,” said Ye Thwe.