Thailand’s Ministry of Labour sent a labor inspection team to examine fishing vessels at sea, joining other agencies in government-wide effort to combat human trafficking and upgrade Thailand from Tier 2 Watchlist to Tier 1 in the annual U.S. TIP Report.
Mr. Suchart Chomklin, Labour Minister, assigned the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare to provide the team of labor inspectors to join hands with Chonburi province and multidisciplinary team in the mission to address labor trafficking in fisheries and IUU fishing on November 17, 2021. The team was led by Mr. Thawatchai Srithong, Chonburi deputy governor, and comprised of other officials from Chonburi provincial labor protection and welfare office, social development and human security office, employment office, labor office, regional marine department, Ang Sila Marine Fisheries Suppression and Protection Unit, and other related agencies.
The team screened fishing boats at sea in areas under Chonburi province jurisdiction to check employment and working conditions for potential human trafficking and forced labor in fisheries. The inspection covered 4 fishing vessels, of which 2 were seine fishing boats and the other 2 were pair trawls fishing boats, carrying 23 workers (6 Thais, 7 Cambodians, 9 Myanmar, and 1 Lao). One fishing boat was found to have violated the regulation regarding employment contract, workers’ leisure time, evidence of wage payment, and failure to bring workers to report to the labor inspectors. The employer was summoned on Nov 22, 2021, for further legal actions. The inspection team did not find illegal activities, forced labor, and human trafficking on other vessels.
Source: https://siamrath.co.th/n/298549
