Thailand promotes prawn industry to counter slavery row

[ChrisY1]

I'm sure they're only trying to convince the home audience.....the global outlook is that so far, nothings changed.

With so many influential and connected people involved in this industry, it's a "massive elephant in the room" for any government......

But....this current military rule should, at least, have the opportunity to make a difference.....however, it's probably likely that some big name military people are involved here as well...it's just so lucrative!

[yellowboat]

It would be nice if one day they could just say we did something instead saying we are going to do something. Just more tacky behavior from uncouth con men.

[RustBucket]

.

But hundreds of thousands more immigrants are estimated still to be working illegally.

A little bit off topic. Just wondering how that will be, once ASEAN pops in.....

I think you mean the AEC, as ASEAN is already a functioning body.

Well, if it is anything like the EU, it will mean free movement of people with a right to work anywhere in the AEC. So there won't be any more illegals. But that doesn't mean they won't be abused across the board.

Nothing will change in Thailand's attitude to the citizens of other nations regarding rights and abuse. Any infringements will likely be covered up and denied with possibly one or two showcase trials against unconnected non-cronies.

The abuses are still going on. Recently we had the Bangladeshi kidnappings to be sold as slaves. For each incident that is caught and stopped, 10 incidents probably go through successfully. Don't forget, the Bangladeshi incident that was caught was NOT stopped by the Thais, it was stopped by an outsider.

Edited October 26, 2014 by RustBucket

[rickirs]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Thais talk the talk but never walk the walk. All international companies should follow Carrefour's lead and ban all Thai seafood products indefinitely. Until Thais show real action arrests, and programs with enforcement and managerial control to curtail this despicable slave trade. All the Thai tax payer money wasted on these sales pitch trips for all these Thais to travel to Europe to "charm" and "pitch" who are part of the problem and not the solution

I think your rear view mirror may have to be adjusted.

The present Government has only been in power 5 months. That is about the time it would take to list the mess they inherited. Before any thing happens you must talk. At the end of the year we will be able to look back and see the results. My money says they will have done some walking. I am waiting to see. Not dumb enough to think all they have to do is say abera ka dabra and the situation is fixed.

Try a little common sense and patience.

Military Coup number 13. Does each coup have memory loss from the governments THEY PUT IN PLACE?

[Traveler19491]

"A new law requires managers of fishing companies to provide labour contracts, and to respect minimum levels of pay and of time off. They are also banned from employing youngsters under 15 years old."

"Late last year, 178 companies in the Thai fisheries sector signed a charter of good practice, under the aegis of the government and the International Labour Organization."

The Thai government can pass all the laws they want, but until they start to aggressively enforce those laws they might as well all get into a big circle, hold hands, and sing "Kum Bayah". It'll have about the same effect. The Thai fishing boats are making very nice profits...profits that are enhanced by free labor. Why give up the labor when there is no incentive? Jail a few skippers and their crews for 20 years for kidnapping, human trafficking, and enslavement, confiscate their boats with no compensation to any company with any ownership interest in said boats, and seize all profits ascribed to such boats from both the boats owners and any companies that bought prawns from those boats, going back five years. Then see how quickly and miraculously the problem resolves itself! Draconian punishments? You're f**king right. But then slavery is rather Draconian.

Every company in the Thai fisheries can sign any paper that comes down the line, but until those documents contain some teeth the Thai government is relying on self-enforcement. And I think you can guess how well that's gonna work.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Traveler19491

[Number 3]

Thailand promotes prawn industry to counter slavery row

Typo?

I think they are serious, damn farlang media saying what actually goes on with the bought slaves that were sold by (officialdom).

This picture is not a true picture! Come off it. Careful what you put out there as truth.

[mikiea]

Thais talk the talk but never walk the walk. All international companies should follow Carrefour's lead and ban all Thai seafood products indefinitely. Until Thais show real action arrests, and programs with enforcement and managerial control to curtail this despicable slave trade. All the Thai tax payer money wasted on these sales pitch trips for all these Thais to travel to Europe to "charm" and "pitch" who are part of the problem and not the solution

I think your rear view mirror may have to be adjusted.

The present Government has only been in power 5 months. That is about the time it would take to list the mess they inherited. Before any thing happens you must talk. At the end of the year we will be able to look back and see the results. My money says they will have done some walking. I am waiting to see. Not dumb enough to think all they have to do is say abera ka dabra and the situation is fixed.

Try a little common sense and patience.

[mikiea]

"they inherited" please explain yourself :-)

[maxme]

Thais talk the talk but never walk the walk. All international companies should follow Carrefour's lead and ban all Thai seafood products indefinitely. Until Thais show real action arrests, and programs with enforcement and managerial control to curtail this despicable slave trade. All the Thai tax payer money wasted on these sales pitch trips for all these Thais to travel to Europe to "charm" and "pitch" who are part of the problem and not the solution

I think your rear view mirror may have to be adjusted.

The present Government has only been in power 5 months. That is about the time it would take to list the mess they inherited. Before any thing happens you must talk. At the end of the year we will be able to look back and see the results. My money says they will have done some walking. I am waiting to see. Not dumb enough to think all they have to do is say abera ka dabra and the situation is fixed.

Try a little common sense and patience.

Defending your people no matter what. So if they screw the pooch on this one, it still would be the previous administration's fault right?

Loss for words when it comes to narrow minded people like you...

[searayman]

Load of bull#&*%……act now ….now just lip service !

[bassman]

Article should read that "Thailand diversifies Irrigated rice paddy Into soy bean production replacing slave labor fish meal for prawn production"

Would be a win for the image of the seafood industry, win for diversification of farming, a win for the oceans food chain and a win for water conservation.

Edited October 26, 2014 by bassman

[northernjohn]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Thais talk the talk but never walk the walk. All international companies should follow Carrefour's lead and ban all Thai seafood products indefinitely. Until Thais show real action arrests, and programs with enforcement and managerial control to curtail this despicable slave trade. All the Thai tax payer money wasted on these sales pitch trips for all these Thais to travel to Europe to "charm" and "pitch" who are part of the problem and not the solution

I think your rear view mirror may have to be adjusted.

The present Government has only been in power 5 months. That is about the time it would take to list the mess they inherited. Before any thing happens you must talk. At the end of the year we will be able to look back and see the results. My money says they will have done some walking. I am waiting to see. Not dumb enough to think all they have to do is say abera ka dabra and the situation is fixed.

Try a little common sense and patience.

Military Coup number 13. Does each coup have memory loss from the governments THEY PUT IN PLACE?

You are seriously confused. The last coup put no one in charge they turned it over to the people for an election. The people voted them in. You are probably new to Thailand so you are unfamiliar with the events that have occurred. The people finally had enough of them and many different groups of hard working honest citizens objected. They finally formed together and were attacked by the militant arm of the government. Things got so bad that the army had to step in to restore peace. It is not as if the army didn't try to keep peace. They gathered the different groups together and asked them to try to work things out. The groups and that includes the PTP said they would do nothing to bring peace so the army did it for you. Since May 22 the people of Thailand have been able to walk the streets with out fear of being shot.

A far cry from what the corruption lovers will try to tell you. I gain nothing from corruption so I have no problem backing those against it. the new Government has not been in place more than a couple of months and that is not long enough to do a heck of a lot. Remember the corruption lovers are still fighting to keep corruption in.

[Benmart]

Thais talk the talk but never walk the walk. All international companies should follow Carrefour's lead and ban all Thai seafood products indefinitely. Until Thais show real action arrests, and programs with enforcement and managerial control to curtail this despicable slave trade. All the Thai tax payer money wasted on these sales pitch trips for all these Thais to travel to Europe to "charm" and "pitch" who are part of the problem and not the solution

I think your rear view mirror may have to be adjusted.

The present Government has only been in power 5 months. That is about the time it would take to list the mess they inherited. Before any thing happens you must talk. At the end of the year we will be able to look back and see the results. My money says they will have done some walking. I am waiting to see. Not dumb enough to think all they have to do is say abera ka dabra and the situation is fixed.

Try a little common sense and patience.

Omitting the first and last sentence delivers the thought without the acidity.

[Chris Lawrence]

I am not buying any Thai Seafood.

If peole are working illegally, shouldn't the employer be also held accountable and fined?

Isn't there also a crackdown on illegal activities with the culprits to be held accountable? Or are just the people that out these people/companies going to court.

Not hearing of any charges against people in this industry, makes the claim of battling corruption a bit of a farce?

[Strangebrew]

Simple to cure if captain found to have slaves on boat he has to walk the plank in shark infested waters after 50 or so captains having this done it will slowly change. Then owner of boat cause we all know a hiso is INVOLVED GETS KEEL HAULED BY THE FAMILY JEWELS through the streets of Bangkok.

[Cake Monster]

This article is all about taste.

The prawns may be absolutely delicious, but are completely unpallitable to many western nations because they are tainted with slavery, forced labour and allegations of torture.

No amount of promotions will get rid of the rotten taste, and only when proof of real changes are seen will the taste become sweet again.

[aussieinthailand]

we are fixing the slavery problem, er, um, we're going to fix the slavery problem soon.

Don't come the raw prawn with me mate.

[HansIsaan]

I had a guy who lived in Thailand for many years tell me that when a Western baby is born it cries, and when a Thai baby is born it lies.

That is why they don't have lie-detectors here: they don't work on Thai people...

[Oziex1]

Well now they are in the picture and for sure they will stay in the picture for some years. They better change it fast or it will be all over the european newspapers again. Thailand is loosing face rapidly.

Promoting the prawnindustry won't help, also the prawns are far to expensive anyway. Europeans prefer wild prawns, not the ones full of chemicals and medicines from uneducated thai prawnfarmers.

Farmed prawns just don't taste the same as wild, bland no real taste

[manhood]

I am board member of a world wide NGO and one of our partners is a thai NGO looking after migrant workers.

So last year i went for a visit to see what they can do for migrant workers in Thailand, what are the problems and how they do their work in the shrimp industry!

What i have seen, their work conditions and how the workers and the families are living shocked me! and ll the other foreign NGO members takeing part on this excoursin realized how migrant workers and their families are treated in Thailand!

As many work without papers (they try to get from the government) but mostly rejected and punished from the police, the migrant workers look their children in their rooms as they are scared the children are taken away by police, missused and much more!

Shame on this government and the autorithies supporting this modern way of slavery!

One more reason not to consum thai shrimps!