In October, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the suspension of preferential trade policy for Thailand under the General System of Preferences (GSP), which will affect more than 500 products, including all those related to the Thai fishing industry.
Thailand's failure to properly protect workers' rights was cited as the reason for the expulsion, which will take effect on April 25 next year.
Some have expressed doubts about the true motives of this measure, suggesting that it has a political impact, but reports in recent months about the poor state of working conditions have shown that this step was not completely unjustified.
The plight of the workers
Earlier this year, 18 members of the fishing team, lured by the promise of a good salary by a broker, set off from Thailand to Iran. Everything went smoothly until they entered Somali waters, when the flag was switched to the flag of the East African nation. The fishermen were trapped because they were not allowed to leave the ship and their salaries were withheld. Their fate deteriorated sharply when the ship began to run out of fuel and food.
Reports that they were dumped on a fishing trawler in exploitative, slave-owning conditions in the seas off the coast of Somalia surfaced in the media in August, revealing hidden practices in the sector.
"Thailand has amended and enforced its laws, but these are cross-border crimes. Fishing vessels cannot use the Thai flag if there are strict law enforcement agencies.&"," Thai human rights activist Patima Tungpuchayakul told DW. She stressed that forced labor and exploitation can be detected not on Thai ships operating in Thai waters, but on ships flying foreign flags.
Thai authorities are generally unaware of the existence of these hidden fishing enterprises because they are registered abroad, which means there are no internal paper trails, and officials may not be aware of the working conditions on board these vessels.
Under the microscope
Thailand has come under heavy criticism over the past five years following reports of human rights and labor rights violations, as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
In 2014, the U.S. State Department downgraded the country to tier 3, the lowest possible rating, in a report on human trafficking, while the European Commission issued a yellow card threatening to ban Thailand from exporting seafood to the European Union.
These official warnings have served as a wake-up call for Thailand to rebuild its lucrative fishing sector. The measures taken include amendments to the Law on Fisheries, the mandatory installation of vessel monitoring systems, the establishment of portside service centers, and increased fines for violations.
Proof of the nation's progress came when Thailand was upgraded to Tier 2 in 2018, and its yellow card status was raised in January of this year. In the same month, she demonstrated "decisive regional leadership."&Becoming the first country in Asia to ratify the Convention on Work in Fisheries, which provides fishermen with adequate working and living conditions, Steve Trent, executive director of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), told DW.
Lingering problems
Although human rights activists say that Thailand should be appreciated for its significant progress, they still express some reservations about the implementation of these ratifications in the national legal system.
In addition to vessels registered abroad that flout fishing laws, the Southeast Asian country's efforts to improve working conditions have also been undermined by lax inspection and enforcement.
"There is no doubt that Thailand has taken its foot off the pedal when it comes to vigorously enforcing laws on fishing fleets," Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, told DW. He also stressed that the police and other officials do not have the basic training to effectively apply the national law on combating human trafficking.
"The Thai fishing industry is still desperately trying to get enough fishermen to board the boats, so they continue to use a lot of tricks to keep the ones they have," Robertson said.
Efforts to end wage withholding and staff deductions have proved elusive. The requirement for employees to switch to electronic payroll gives shipowners and captains the opportunity to keep ATMs and PIN codes from fishermen, Thai activist Tungpuchayakul reports.
EJF confirmed this information and listed insufficient access to electronic payment methods and document storage as further examples of ongoing labor exploitation. It is also worth noting that migrant workers in Thailand are currently not allowed to form or join trade unions.
"A unified regional approach is needed to effectively eliminate slavery, human trafficking and forced labor from fishing vessels," Trent said.
A regional problem
Unreported and unregulated fishing remains common in Southeast Asia. The 2019 IUU Fishing Index, created as part of the Global Initiative to Combat Transnational Organized Crime, showed that Asia is the worst off among all regions, with Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Indonesia among the 15 most disadvantaged countries. This practice is reflected in the findings of the Asia Foundation that overfishing has placed 64% of total fisheries in Southeast Asia at medium to high risk."
Six Southeast Asian countries - Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar — are among the world's 20 largest marine fishing countries, accounting for almost one fifth of the total catch, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Cambodia is one of the three countries in the world with red card status, which temporarily prevents the country from exporting seafood to the European Union. Its neighbor, Vietnam, was under threat of the same trade ban due to their "far-flung and out-of-control&"fishing vessels," Robertson said. The ongoing illegal fishing activity in other countries has prompted the European Commission to issue a yellow card warning to Vietnam.
The Philippines also suffers from IUU fishing, which causes economic losses of more than €1.18 billion ($1.3 billion) annually, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Until 2014, it cost Indonesia, the world's second largest fishing country, about 3.4 billion euros each year.
The true cost of seafood
In addition to the exorbitant economic costs, IUU fishing also poses a serious threat to fisheries and is inextricably linked to human rights violations.
Researchers have observed a significant decrease in fish numbers worldwide. In a 2018 report, FAO estimated that 33.1% of fisheries are caught at full capacity or beyond. Meanwhile, global consumption has been steadily increasing, rising from just under 10 kilograms in the 1960s to a record 20.3 kilograms in 2016.
With the demand for unprecedented high, dwindling stocks due to overzealous fishing efforts, fishermen are going out even more and increasing their length of stay at sea, which in turn increases operating costs. This contributes to forced labor, human trafficking, and other human rights violations, as unscrupulous owners try to keep up with demand.
"Fuel costs are unavoidable, but labor costs can be changed and distorted. Fishing operations are very labor-intensive, with fishermen's salaries accounting for up to 60% of operating expenses.&"Blood and Water," says the latest EJF report.".
Tungpuchayakul, who has dedicated her life to helping enslaved people at sea, hopes that people will pay special attention not only to fish stocks and environmental issues, but also to the working and living conditions of workers.
Raising concerns about such practices could significantly contribute to the elimination of seafood tainted by slavery. EJF urges consumers to demand "network-to-plate traceability&and use your own purchasing power to drive change.
"I want everyone to understand that modern slavery exists, and it is the responsibility of every seafood consumer on this planet," Tungpuchayakul said. Many players prefer platforms that offer strong welcome packages, since these promotions can enhance the first impression and provide more flexibility during early gameplay. These rewards usually require activation at registration. By entering
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