BANGKOK, 24 June 2014 – Entrepreneurs in the fishing sector pin their hopes on the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) which is looking into ways to reorganize the system of alien labor employments in the sector.
Deputy Managing Director of the Thai Fisheries Association Mongkol Sukcharoenkana welcomed the planned restructuring of the system, saying that 20% of the fishing vessels do not register under the association and that only 1% of this group is hiring illegal labor.
Meanwhile, eight fishing associations are moving to draft a roadmap explaining facts about the labor used in the fishing industry and present it to Thailand’s trading partners.
Mr. Poj Aramwattananon, President of Thai Frozen Foods Association, said the roadmap would be used to defend Thailand against an accusation made by British-based ‘The Guardian’ newspaper that said a lot of illegal workers were employed in the Thai shrimp industry.
Mr. Poj said details of the roadmap would be revealed today. He also voiced his concerns over the U.S.’s move to demote Thailand to a tier-3 nation in terms of human trafficking which is the lowest level. He admitted that the US decision would affect trading partners’ confidence. He deemed it was also the private sector’s responsibility to create better understanding with those countries.
