EU tells Thailand more to do on illegal fishing: official

[bheard]

Is Thailand part of Eu? I don't think so. Then which right is it dare give orders to Thailand ? The damages that it causing to the European countries doesn't enough for them ?

Every customer, which includes the EU, has the right to tell a supplier that they won't buy the product if it and it's production does not meet standards.

[zyphodb]

"The Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, has revealed the eradication progress of the Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by the Thai authorities, stating that positive progress has resulted from the many measures utilized, such as the establishment of new laws and the national plan to eradicate IUU fishing. The government will be discussing with representatives of the European Union further on any extra measures required to lift the countrys status."

I've got one measure that is required....enforce the laws.

And therein lies the problem.......

[zyphodb]

Anyone surprised at this news?

Maybe only Thailand which still can't get foreigners to understand.

Can't get them to understand what???????

THAINESS.....

[Peung]

I wonder why the EU play's ball just now, when they blind folded their demands for the past 30 years.......a ne way of meddling in internal Thai politics perhaps?

I assume the mass graves discovered at abandoned illegal migrant camps, and the link between the migrant slave trade and slave labor on fishing boats, prompted action on this matter. Once they started investigating the slave labor issue they had to address the illegal fishing in prohibited waters as well.

I think it was probably the other way around. When the Thai authorities started looking into IUU fishing practices they discovered the trafficking camps. But for the EU yellow card, the World would probably be none the wiser.

[spidermike007]

Anyone surprised at this news?

I am, cause they was doing the right in the beginning.

When it went wrong in my option, was when there was low supply of seafood and the prices skyrocketing was told to go and fish,

even with illegal boats and unauthorized equipment.

So we got a problem with supply, lets do as before.

What i understand is the government thought it had fulfilled its obligations to the EU with Stricter regulations as ensuring all boats are registered, have authorized equipment and are fitted with a Vessel Monitoring System,

but almost 2 month after the warning from EU.

So as we read in BP today government thought it had fulfilled its obligations, but what about the future, to control the regulations and its happening. There is the problem. Thailand need to act fast to avoid this.

Agree.

There is no framework for regulating the fishing industry, without a framework (institutions, procedures, rules, Chain of custody for the products, legal framework, organizations etc) the EU cannot verify anything about the Thai fishing Industry. A sudden order by the military top to do this and that have no effect whatsoever if there is no framework, because at the moment the Country do not have a civil government to implement the framework and follow up on it.

But, it goes far deeper than that. Even when Thailand had a civilian government, it was very weak when it came to enforcing law and order. And even weaker when it came to processes being transferred from one administration to the next. Most of the time, every process was scrapped, and the man children in charge insisted on doing it their way. The military is as weak, or weaker than the civilian government when it comes to follow up and enforcement. Little P. utters the words, but they do not get it done, most of the time. While the article mentions implementation of provisions, they attempt to whitewash the continued use of slave labor, which is a huge issue for the EU, as it should be. Who wants to buy seafood processed by slaves? Thailand has a huge amount of work to do in this area. And the boat captains cannot complain, until they figure out a way to gain some humanity, which has been lost.

[Benmart]

I wonder why the EU play's ball just now, when they blind folded their demands for the past 30 years.......a ne way of meddling in internal Thai politics perhaps?

It seems impossible to rewrite history in this case. One can only move forward and not dwell on the why, which and when of thirty years past. Many of the players are no longer around.

Meddling is often a term used by those reluctant to advance the cause of human dignity and freedom.

[Bluespunk]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

Yes indeed what sort of PC insanity is it that the EU is concerned with the devastation caused to to sea life by over fishing and environmentally unsound methods?

Who cares that this is leading to the extinction of species?

Doesn't the EU know that the future is someone else's problem?

Why should they care as long as people in Europe get what they want at as low a cost possible no matter what the consequences?

Madness, absolute madness.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Bluespunk

[heybruce]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

You're ignoring the slave labor issue, and the fact that illegal, unrestricted fishing is depleting the ocean's fish stocks. This does more than just remove seafood from the menu, once the coastal fish stocks have crashed impoverished fishermen sometimes turn to piracy. That's what happened in Somalia, and Thai fishing boats contributed to that desperate situation.

If you are not familiar with the expression "the tragedy of the commons" you should look into it. The oceans are an example of such a tragedy on a global scale.

No need to look any further for evidence of depleted fish stocks - the North Sea is a prime example of raping the ocean. And it wasn't done by Thai fishermen.

Your point being?

I never stated that Thailand was alone in depleting fishing stocks, just that it was a contributor. According to the OP Thailand is the world's third largest seafood exporter, and all that seafood isn't just coming from Thai waters. From that it is reasonable to assume that Thailand is a big contributor to the problem of overfishing.

There's also that slave labor issue. Many people don't want food provided by slave labor at any price.

Edited July 18, 2015 by heybruce

[FritsSikkink]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

You're ignoring the slave labor issue, and the fact that illegal, unrestricted fishing is depleting the ocean's fish stocks. This does more than just remove seafood from the menu, once the coastal fish stocks have crashed impoverished fishermen sometimes turn to piracy. That's what happened in Somalia, and Thai fishing boats contributed to that desperate situation.

If you are not familiar with the expression "the tragedy of the commons" you should look into it. The oceans are an example of such a tragedy on a global scale.

the EU says nothing abour slave labour

[heybruce]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

You're ignoring the slave labor issue, and the fact that illegal, unrestricted fishing is depleting the ocean's fish stocks. This does more than just remove seafood from the menu, once the coastal fish stocks have crashed impoverished fishermen sometimes turn to piracy. That's what happened in Somalia, and Thai fishing boats contributed to that desperate situation.

If you are not familiar with the expression "the tragedy of the commons" you should look into it. The oceans are an example of such a tragedy on a global scale.

the EU says nothing abour slave labour

It's not specifically mentioned in this article, however:

"Last year, the US State Department relegated Thailand in its lowest tier in the annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report while the EU downgraded Thailand in its Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing ranking over the abuse of migrant fishermen on trawler crews and widespread use of trafficked labour." http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830777-govt-expects-an-upgrade-for-tip-fishing-crackdowns/?p=9486896&hl=%2Bfishing+%2Bslave

"Two Thai men described as key figures in a human trafficking ring that provides slave crews for fishing boats were arrested, officials said Wednesday, as new regulations aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing took effect.

The two suspects were the latest to be arrested following an Associated Press investigation into slavery in Southeast Asia's fishing industry." http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/837247-thailand-arrests-2-alleged-brokers-who-sent-slaves-to-boats/?hl=%2Bfishing+%2Bslave

[Thai at Heart]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

Yes, quality things cost money. I am not sure anyone can say they like cheap things supplied by slaves. So, I don't understand why this is a problem for the European consumer. Survey a hundred of them, and 99 would probably say they were more than happy to pay a higher price.

Of course, we settled in Thailand, where cheap and cheerful reigns supreme, but the roads are full of holes and the schools are horrendous. You get what u pay for.

[taff33]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

Please tell me where I can buy the cheap prawns and pangasius from unregistered fishing boats because I seem to be buying only the expensive ones from the registered boat,I really could do with your help.

[FritsSikkink]

again one of these EU policies where it shoots itself in the foot.

instead of cheap shrimps and cheap pangasius from unregistered fishers, they will now get expensive shrimps and pangasius from registered fishers. great.

At the end, the improvement in fishing practices will again be paid as always by the EU consumer. Most of them don't have any money left to go on holidays in Thailand either...

You're ignoring the slave labor issue, and the fact that illegal, unrestricted fishing is depleting the ocean's fish stocks. This does more than just remove seafood from the menu, once the coastal fish stocks have crashed impoverished fishermen sometimes turn to piracy. That's what happened in Somalia, and Thai fishing boats contributed to that desperate situation.

If you are not familiar with the expression "the tragedy of the commons" you should look into it. The oceans are an example of such a tragedy on a global scale.

the EU says nothing abour slave labour

It's not specifically mentioned in this article, however:

"Last year, the US State Department relegated Thailand in its lowest tier in the annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report while the EU downgraded Thailand in its Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing ranking over the abuse of migrant fishermen on trawler crews and widespread use of trafficked labour." http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830777-govt-expects-an-upgrade-for-tip-fishing-crackdowns/?p=9486896&hl=%2Bfishing+%2Bslave

"Two Thai men described as key figures in a human trafficking ring that provides slave crews for fishing boats were arrested, officials said Wednesday, as new regulations aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing took effect.

The two suspects were the latest to be arrested following an Associated Press investigation into slavery in Southeast Asia's fishing industry." http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/837247-thailand-arrests-2-alleged-brokers-who-sent-slaves-to-boats/?hl=%2Bfishing+%2Bslave

so it happend and they were arrested, next

[heybruce]

You're ignoring the slave labor issue, and the fact that illegal, unrestricted fishing is depleting the ocean's fish stocks. This does more than just remove seafood from the menu, once the coastal fish stocks have crashed impoverished fishermen sometimes turn to piracy. That's what happened in Somalia, and Thai fishing boats contributed to that desperate situation.

If you are not familiar with the expression "the tragedy of the commons" you should look into it. The oceans are an example of such a tragedy on a global scale.

the EU says nothing abour slave labour

It's not specifically mentioned in this article, however:

"Last year, the US State Department relegated Thailand in its lowest tier in the annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report while the EU downgraded Thailand in its Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing ranking over the abuse of migrant fishermen on trawler crews and widespread use of trafficked labour." http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830777-govt-expects-an-upgrade-for-tip-fishing-crackdowns/?p=9486896&hl=%2Bfishing+%2Bslave

"Two Thai men described as key figures in a human trafficking ring that provides slave crews for fishing boats were arrested, officials said Wednesday, as new regulations aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing took effect.

The two suspects were the latest to be arrested following an Associated Press investigation into slavery in Southeast Asia's fishing industry." http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/837247-thailand-arrests-2-alleged-brokers-who-sent-slaves-to-boats/?hl=%2Bfishing+%2Bslave

so it happend and they were arrested, next

The EU didn't arrest Thailand, it downgraded Thailand, based in part on "widespread use of trafficked labour."

[Rorri]

Some of you readers see the EU's response as being politically motivated, granted, you are entitled to your less than "factual" comments, some people always see conspiracies, no matter what. What I see is a stance being taken due to Thailand's slave trade and the fact that it has already fished out its own waters and is now trespassing into other countries waters.