Thai govt urged to stop putting inmates on fishing boats

[webfact]

Govt urged to stop putting inmates on fishing boats
Reuters

Rights groups say this does not address problems, threatens prisoners' rights

BANGKOK: -- MORE THAN a dozen rights groups urged Thailand yesterday to end a project to recruit prisoners to work on fishing boats, saying it would not address problems in the fishing industry and posed a serious threat to prisoners' rights.

Thailand is the world's third-largest seafood exporter. Its fishing industry employs more than 300,000 people, many of them illegal migrant workers from neighbouring countries who are often subject to ill-treatment.

A labour shortage in the industry has also partly fuelled human trafficking to meet demand for manpower in the fishing sector. Rights groups say the pilot project would fail to stop the illicit trade.

"This project poses a serious threat to the human rights of prisoners," said a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha signed by 45 non-governmental organisations.

"The project will also likely fail to address the fundamental causes of the labour shortage that fuels trafficking in Thailand's fishing industry."

Other abuses recorded in the industry include forced labour and violence. That has threatened business and put Thailand under international pressure to respond.

The warning comes as Thailand scrambles to boost its record in fighting human trafficking ahead of a US deadline to show improvement.

In December, the Labour Ministry said it would send consenting prisoners who had less than a year left of their sentence to work on fishing boats to ease a labour shortage and to combat human trafficking.

On Wednesday, the ministry said the scheme was intended to help ex-prisoners find work and it would not send inmates to sea.

'Only helping them get jobs'

"We've found that ex-prisoners are not welcome in the Thai workforce so we've found a way to help them," Labour Minister Surasak Karnjanarat told Reuters.

A pilot programme in Samut Sakhon employs 173 ex-prisoners to work on fishing boats, he added.

Thailand is ranked one of the world's worst centres of human trafficking. It was downgraded to the lowest "Tier 3" status in June on the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report for not fully complying with minimum standards for its elimination.

Prime Minister Prayut has acknowledged the complicity of some Thai authorities in smuggling people and forcing them to work in the fishing industry.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Govt-urged-to-stop-putting-inmates-on-fishing-boat-30252001.html


-- The Nation 2015-01-16

[4evermaat]

Is there anything mass produced or gathered that does not ultimately make its way through a sweatshop?

[thesetat2013]

Nothing like making a press statement and contradicting yourself while doing it.

Let's see. They state the labour ministry would send consenting prisoners who had less than a year left on their sentence to work on fishing boats.

Then they say:

On Wednesday, the ministry said the scheme was intended to help ex-prisoners find work and it would not send inmates to sea.

A person who has less than 1 year on their sentence is still an inmate. And it seems they are already sending inmates to work on boats with their pilot program.

I stated in a comment when the ministry first came out with this crazy idea of putting inmates on boats that it would not stop illegal workers or trafficking and that it may have thee opposite effect. Seems other human rights groups and organizations are seeing the light and stepping up to bat to stop this nonsense.

[LuckyLew]

"Prime Minister Prayut has acknowledged the complicity of some Thai authorities in smuggling people and forcing them to work in the fishing industry."

And what exactly is he doing about it? There is a reason Thailand is a "tier 3" and getting warnings from EU

[jalansanitwong]

Everything in Thailand goes round and round in circles. The Surit Thani officials admitted years ago that they were offering jobs to early release prisoners on Koh Samui and other islands.

Nothing will happen and nothing will change.

Too many influencial people making too much money out of slave wage earners.

Whats the USA got to do with it. Theyre the biggest abuses of slave labour in world history. Theyre still at it !

[HeijoshinCool]

A labour shortage in the industry has also partly fuelled human trafficking to meet demand for manpower in the fishing sector

​Well, they wouldn't have a shortage if they'd stop throwing them overboard 50 miles out ….

[NongKhaiKid]

Maybe some of them could be considered for the proposed police conscription !

[Strangebrew]

Look no one cares enslaves prisoners When they broke the law they gave up there rights. I saw ball and chain them teach them hard work earns money not taking it from those who worked hard to get it. Good part with ball and chain attached there would be no escapes so less costs to government all around. And those that try would never repeat it.

[h90]

Look no one cares enslaves prisoners When they broke the law they gave up there rights. I saw ball and chain them teach them hard work earns money not taking it from those who worked hard to get it. Good part with ball and chain attached there would be no escapes so less costs to government all around. And those that try would never repeat it.

In my opinion they volunteer for it. I think if I would be in jail I would be more than happy to work on a fisher boat instead of sitting in the cell. And I think the chances are good when you work well on the fishing boat that you get a job there after you are finished your jail term.

I think it is a good idea.

[ggt]

They should randomly select 1 government official for each 10 inmates to work on the fishing boats...

My best guess is...they would stop this non-sense rather quickly...

[noitom]

Thais knew for years that this was common practice. What Thai crackpot would dream up a scheme like this? The Thais responsible for this atrocity should be tarred and feathered the old fashioned way and jailed for long sentences.

[worgeordie]

Sitting in a crowded cell or a life on the ocean wave,

which would you choose, if you had too?

regards Worgeordie

[chainarong]

The industry needs a complete clean out , for too long the big boys have sailed roughshod over this industry, the Thai Government needs to show some responsible leadership and start making inroads into human trafficking , shonky labour rules, rates of pay and conditions, the fact that there are inmates on fishing boats just shows the knee jerk reaction with the government having no policy in the fishing industry, when it come down to working on the boats , inmates should be inside not out boating on the ocean waves and with the right cash and contacts can escape.

[Chris Lawrence]

Look no one cares enslaves prisoners When they broke the law they gave up there rights. I saw ball and chain them teach them hard work earns money not taking it from those who worked hard to get it. Good part with ball and chain attached there would be no escapes so less costs to government all around. And those that try would never repeat it.

In my opinion they volunteer for it. I think if I would be in jail I would be more than happy to work on a fisher boat instead of sitting in the cell. And I think the chances are good when you work well on the fishing boat that you get a job there after you are finished your jail term.

I think it is a good idea.

Are they one up or one down from trafficking? The fishing industry has a labour shortage if the people that were trafficked are removed. So no one wants to go fishing?

Just because they are inmates in a prison and have less than one year of a sentence to complete, working on fishing boats may be harder than doing the sentence. The conditions on the fishing boats have to improve.

The Government may be acting as the Press Gang for the fishing industry, but at the end of the day the captains of the fishing industry are not going to miss a beat with a program like this. They are still going to make money. They will not have to improve their industry or the conditions on offer.

Do you really think the inmates will have a collective voice on boat conditions or wages? Nothing has been said about these improvements? They did a crime, but you treat some one less than, do not help in rehabilitation. A scheme like this may contribute to recidivism rates amongst the inmates going fishing?

Good idea, but not well thought out. It sounds like a scheme that would be similar to 'moving the deck chairs on the Titanic' just to impress and improve the human trafficking tier.

[Sviss Geez]

Nothing like making a press statement and contradicting yourself while doing it.

Let's see. They state the labour ministry would send consenting prisoners who had less than a year left on their sentence to work on fishing boats.

Then they say:

On Wednesday, the ministry said the scheme was intended to help ex-prisoners find work and it would not send inmates to sea.

A person who has less than 1 year on their sentence is still an inmate. And it seems they are already sending inmates to work on boats with their pilot program.

I stated in a comment when the ministry first came out with this crazy idea of putting inmates on boats that it would not stop illegal workers or trafficking and that it may have thee opposite effect. Seems other human rights groups and organizations are seeing the light and stepping up to bat to stop this nonsense.

"And it seems they are already sending inmates to work on boats with their pilot program."

They're not sending anyone to work at sea, those that go do so voluntarily and by allowing prisoners with less than a year of their sentence left to work in the fishing industry they are assisting ex-prisoners to find an occupation because in less than a year those volunteers will be ex-prisoners.

Whether it is nonsense or not is up to those prisoners and ex-prisoners to decide, surely?

[Sviss Geez]

Look no one cares enslaves prisoners When they broke the law they gave up there rights. I saw ball and chain them teach them hard work earns money not taking it from those who worked hard to get it. Good part with ball and chain attached there would be no escapes so less costs to government all around. And those that try would never repeat it.

That is already being done and the ones who may benefit from these proposals are the prisoners who have almost completed their "ball and chain' period.

[Sviss Geez]

They should randomly select 1 government official for each 10 inmates to work on the fishing boats...

My best guess is...they would stop this non-sense rather quickly...

If prisoners were being randomly selected that would be a good idea but as the prisoners will volunteer why should government officials be conscripted to the proposed scheme?

[Sviss Geez]

Are they one up or one down from trafficking? The fishing industry has a labour shortage if the people that were trafficked are removed. So no one wants to go fishing?

Just because they are inmates in a prison and have less than one year of a sentence to complete, working on fishing boats may be harder than doing the sentence. The conditions on the fishing boats have to improve.

The Government may be acting as the Press Gang for the fishing industry, but at the end of the day the captains of the fishing industry are not going to miss a beat with a program like this. They are still going to make money. They will not have to improve their industry or the conditions on offer.

Do you really think the inmates will have a collective voice on boat conditions or wages? Nothing has been said about these improvements? They did a crime, but you treat some one less than, do not help in rehabilitation. A scheme like this may contribute to recidivism rates amongst the inmates going fishing?

Good idea, but not well thought out. It sounds like a scheme that would be similar to 'moving the deck chairs on the Titanic' just to impress and improve the human trafficking tier.

"The Government may be acting as the Press Gang for the fishing industry..."

There is no Press Gang-ing, it's a proposed voluntary scheme that has not yet been implemented apart from one experimental pilot exercise.

[Rumble]

Actually in most countries prisoners who have a record of good behaviour that have almost completed their sentence are gradually introduced back into society by doing communal work under supervision under a voluntary bases. The problem here is the fact that in the past slave labour was used in the fishing vessels, so the eyes of the world are on our fishing fleets. One must also look at the situation through the prisoners view, I am sure that after being locked up for years under not so good conditions a bit of freedom, fresh air, and the opportunity to accumulate some money, even under the hard labour of working on a fishing boat is most welcomed. Providing that it is voluntary work which can not be defined as a "chain gang" which in essence is forced labour.

[wabothai]

Seems to me that fishing is more fun than a Thai prison.

Prisoners and illegal aliens are working on the boats to increase profits and fill the pockets of the big bosses.

[Nemesis7]

Can't wait to see what happens eventually in the long run.

[reptile91602]

What's wrong with so many of the bloggers here and the organizations bitching about this program unless what the Thai gov. is saying is a lie. If the prisoner has a choice what the hell is the complaining about.

[SlideRiceFC]

Everything in Thailand goes round and round in circles. The Surit Thani officials admitted years ago that they were offering jobs to early release prisoners on Koh Samui and other islands.

Nothing will happen and nothing will change.

Too many influencial people making too much money out of slave wage earners.

Whats the USA got to do with it. Theyre the biggest abuses of slave labour in world history. Theyre still at it !

The USA is the biggest abuser of slave labor in world history? Don't let facts get in the way of your anti-US sentiment.

[FangFerang]

Putting inmates on fishing boats is not a bad idea. It is a stupid idea. It gives boat captains, canning facilities, and fish packaging plants who are already found guilty of human trafficking, a great opportunity to blackmail workers for part of their pay under threat of returning to jail, it gives inmates a great chance to escape altogether, and it does nothing to alleviate the human trafficking problem whatsoever.

Thai inmates are not received well when they re-enter Thai society, so we are...helping them. Said who? Change provinces, and no one knows you were a convict. Helping who?

This is trading one type of slave for another.

Bad form!

[ableguy]

Everything in Thailand goes round and round in circles. The Surit Thani officials admitted years ago that they were offering jobs to early release prisoners on Koh Samui and other islands.

Nothing will happen and nothing will change.

Too many influencial people making too much money out of slave wage earners.

Whats the USA got to do with it. Theyre the biggest abuses of slave labour in world history. Theyre still at it !

Your rant on the USA is total crap, study history" ,if you are capable, however empty heads like you are a good laugh.