Hundreds of trawler owners suspend operation in ports all around the country

[lovelomsak]

What worries me is the EU will they cave in or stand by their word to red card if not improved. Because at this moment it appears the boat owners are doing nothing. Its like they feel it should all just go away.If the EU doesnot see through the lies and misinformation and keep buying from Thailand I think it will be time to give up on humanities in Thailand for ever. And perhaps the EU.

I personally cannot see myself eating Thai caught seafood again, thinking of the slave labour involved to get it. If the world condones slave labour for cheap prices then we are all to blame.How many slaves at high sea have been killed to provide cheaper fish.

Edited July 5, 2015 by lovelomsak

[realenglish1]

I said from the beginning of this that most boats would comply and go out fishing

To much money to loose and these fisherman have families to feed as well

Just a lot of bluster from the fishermen. Over time it will subside

[ggt]

The Thai government should become pro-active in bringing these fishermen into the 21st Century...educating, equipping, and training to get them back to work in a legal environment...the fishery industry is too important to Thailand to just rule the boats illegal and leave them hanging...IMHO

[Inepto Cracy]

555 they are illegal fish trawlers. Why is every tom dick and ef-nut pandering and defending these a-holes. They got caught doing wrong. Tough titties. The law is hitting these ....holesnin the pocket becausenthey are making Thailand look like a forrest gump regime. Swallow it big boys, you are nothing outside of thailand. 555.

[Sakeopete]

Wow it would be great if it lasted and sport fisherman could actually catch something other than sea lice. Thailand could have a successful sport fishing industry if there were decent size fish to catch.

[BestBitterPhuket]

Its about time this crime infested industry took a hit. Criminals refusing to "go to work"? The Thai government should be happy that the crimes stop, at least for a while. Imagine if Myanmar drug lords used the same logic as thai fishing boat owners. Would we be happy? Of course.

[rametindallas]

The fishing boats that followed the rules will reap a double reward: less competition and better prices. This should more than offset the expense of doing the right thing. The ones who procrastinated will be Johhny-come-lately s to the scene and will get lower prices when others before them bring in more fish to lower prices. Good.

I hope some of them have waited too long to make it profitable to even get back into fishing. Fish stocks are finite and the more fishing boats, the less profits everyone will make.

I would like to see Thailand cap the number of total boats for each type of fish and the ones who waited will be left out completely. This would allow for the fish stocks to recover and then more boats could be permitted.

Since there is so much aquaculture that is not affected, the Thai consumer shan't suffer too much.

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[rametindallas]

"Songkhla Fishery Association president Praporn Akuru said about 90 per cent of trawlers in the province, about 900, could not go to sea because of the government was enforcing the Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing regulations - the IUU rules."

Good.

The bonus is that the EU cannot Red Card Thailand if the criminals stay in port. Good for the fishermen who complied as they will still be able to export to the EU.

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[slapout]

they will make threats beat their chest, stomp feet, kick and scream, but thr PM will most likely ignore them and they can follow rules or move their self serving attitude, business and equipment to another ocean. hopefully one where they get blown out of the water by the baddest group operating there.

these types have ruined the chance for a steady supply of fish for human consumption and it will take years to repair the damage they has caused. they are lower than whale shit on the ocean ladder of life and death and their complete non contribution to substaining, much less improving conditions require some hard raps on the knuckles or eliminate them from any part of the industry, including deck hand..

[rametindallas]

I wonder where they hid the slaves?

On tv (here in Europe) i saw a very happy Indonesian fisherman who was released by the Thai fishers after 20 years. He complainted about the long working hours, no food. He was crying like a baby when he saw his mother again after that long period and he said he would never ever leave his village again.

If he really has been slaved all those years then i would assume the Thai will have to pay him for that.

Yeah why not a good human rights lawyer could work this, perhaps.

Human rights lawyers don't live so long in Thailand, sad to say; nor do environmental activists.

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[Katipo]

It's so rare for newspapers to report good news these days.

[Nobb]

No logbooks and no slave labor so they come into port. Just a tip of the ice burgh. To many years of no one caring about the law because no one ever checked

them out. So sad just let them run free probably with a little money paid to the right person. The world has seen you and the new PM is going to make you abide by the law. You knew you were doing wrong but your love for the baht made you to never care. People may not like the law but finally the law is enforced. If youare not breaking the law no problem!