EU satisfied and gives Thailand 6 months to improve performance on IUU fishing

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EU satisfied and gives Thailand 6 months to improve performance on IUU fishing



BANGKOK: -- The European Union has agreed to maintain the yellow card imposed on Thai fishing industry but to give the country another six months to improve its performance on IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing and to prepare training manuals for IUU fishing enforcement.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikalya said Thursday that Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan reported to the cabinet on Tuesday about the assessment of the IUU fishing by the EU inspection team which was in Thailand last month.

According to General Prawit, the EU delegation was satisfied with Thailand’s performance so far to address the IUU issue but there are still some areas which require improvements.

So the EU decided to maintain Thailand’s status and to give the country another six months to make further improvements, the agriculture minister quoted the deputy prime minister as saying.

The Thai team responsible for addressing the IUU problem will report to the EU in Brussels in May.

Fisheries Department head Mr Wimon Chanthararothai, meanwhile, said that frozen Thai shrimp industry appears to have good prospect this year because other producers in neighbouring countries are facing problems of diseases infection and chemical residue in their shrimp products.

About 260,000 tonnes of shrimps were produced last year and the output is expected to be increased to 300,000 tonnes this year with 230,000 tonnes to be exported, said Mr Wimon.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/148649


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-29

[Laughing Gravy]

Thailand is very lucky indeed on this matter and hopefully will get its house in order and do the right thing. 6 months is a long time so no excuses this time.

[chainarong]

How can the EU be satisfied and then give the IUU fishing industry 6 months to improve its performance , seems to me the EU is hoping for a miracle but knowing the out come will be less than a miracle............................ .

[NongKhaiKid]

The EU can't do much research or they would see a deadline extension here only means more time to do nothing until just before the next inspection to make it look good and of course issue press releases on how much they're doing and the confidence that the EU, or whoever, will understand.

[lujanit]

The EU is all talk and no teeth. The EU was never going to red card Thailand. Now Thailand will continue on with human traffic and slave labour on fishing boats, fish processing plants and the money will continue to flow so that officials turn a blind eye.

Human misery will continue unabated in the name of money. Bloody disgusting!

Thais have not only won the battle but due to the weakness and political correctness of the EU fat cats also won the war. This decision has effectively given corrupt Thais carte blanche to do as they please knowing nothing will ever happen to curtail their hideous practices.

[selftaopath]

The EU can't do much research or they would see a deadline extension here only means more time to do nothing until just before the next inspection to make it look good and of course issue press releases on how much they're doing and the confidence that the EU, or whoever, will understand.

How true Kid. Timelines seem to mean absolutely NOTHING in Thailand. Action - other than nefarious ones - is very difficult to observe also.

Hope I'm not warned again.

Edited January 28, 2016 by selftaopath

[PatOngo]

EU.....We'll give you six months to get you act together and if you don't get you act together in six months, we'll give you another six months to get your act together.

[happy Joe]

Human misery will continue unabated in the name of money. Bloody disgusting!

All that is excessive is insignificant...

[MaxLee]

The EU is all talk and no teeth. The EU was never going to red card Thailand. Now Thailand will continue on with human traffic and slave labour on fishing boats, fish processing plants and the money will continue to flow so that officials turn a blind eye.

Human misery will continue unabated in the name of money. Bloody disgusting!

Thais have not only won the battle but due to the weakness and political correctness of the EU fat cats also won the war. This decision has effectively given corrupt Thais carte blanche to do as they please knowing nothing will ever happen to curtail their hideous practices.

Yep, it just gives the fishing Mafia more time to rug everything as much as possible under the carpet and the main branches not to get caught. Except a few POOR sacrificial lambs, nothing is really gonna change, sorry folks.

[onetime]

It's a sad day for slaves and underage children! If I had a say in this process, I would have thought a lot harder about the people their choices will effect.

There is NO justification!

[clockman]

Teflon, Thailand.!

[englishoak]

Stupid decision, wont change anything in reality... oh well no surprises here.

[arrowsdawdle]

How can the EU be satisfied and then give the IUU fishing industry 6 months to improve its performance , seems to me the EU is hoping for a miracle but knowing the out come will be less than a miracle............................ .

Exactly right. Who allows such drivel to appear under their news brand? If the EU were satisfied, first of all they would have said so and secondly, they would have lifted all sanctions.

[arrowsdawdle]

It's a sad day for slaves and underage children! If I had a say in this process, I would have thought a lot harder about the people their choices will effect.

There is NO justification!

[Caveat Emptor]

Since the junta loves congratulating itself on jobs well done, in their opinion, it must be difficult for them to resist a ' told you so, we knew the EU would see it our way ' statement.

Early days though and it will be mentioned as appropriate sometime.

[johng]

No news from the EU just one "minister" quoting another "minister"

[bluebluewater]

The EU just does not have a hair on it's ass, does it?

[AlQaholic]

truly solid performance by the Prayut Govt. This is the one thing in which they have achieved outstanding results in such a short period of time. My hat off for EU to recognize this.

[Ulic]

Feet to the fire is the only way to make progress in Thailand.

[kimamey]

How can the EU be satisfied and then give the IUU fishing industry 6 months to improve its performance , seems to me the EU is hoping for a miracle but knowing the out come will be less than a miracle............................ .

I think the headline is misleading. The EU are satisfied with the progress that had been made so it is better than it was when Thailand received it's yellow card therefore it wouldn't make sense to red card it now. What will happen in future is anyone's guess but they do red card nations. I believe Cambodia has a red card at the moment.

Thailand has obviously been forced to move from its normal "this is what we promise to do" technique by pressure from the EU. I suspect the US has put pressure as well.

[sawadee1947]

if EU would be sooo satisfied....why they give 6 months for improving?

[lucky11]

How can the EU be satisfied and then give the IUU fishing industry 6 months to improve its performance , seems to me the EU is hoping for a miracle but knowing the out come will be less than a miracle............................ .

It shows that the situation is improving greatly from what it was under Yingluck's sorry tenure, whereby she just let things continue as before because she was too busy attempting to get her brother's amnesty with everything else, including the rice scam fiasco, playing second fiddle to this 'ever so important' piece of business!!

I think that the Junta deserves much in the way of plaudits in this and other Human Rights efforts it is currently working on, in showing that it is putting in a lot of effort to resolve these issues to the satisfaction of the HR commissioners in all areas it was lacking in. I doubt that much if any will be forthcoming though as they (the critics) are too set in their bigoted ways to give the Junta any credit where it is, without question, warranted.

[grumbleweed]

If the EU were satisfied they would have removed the yellow card

For "satisfied" we should read "noted that some improvements have been made, but there is still some way to go"

Let's be fair, it would have needed divine intervention to bring the Thai fishing industry up to anything like international standards in 6 months.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

money talks and the human trafficking will continue.

[Brer Fox]

The EU is just on the brink of collapse. With the UK about to withdraw and the recent influx of illegal immigrants the EU is about to topple over. Threats to the Thai fishing industry will mean nothing. In 6 months time there may not even be an EU. The EU is about as useless as the UN.

[Srikcir]

EU made a conservative and cautious decision by extending the yellow card 6 months. Having only "some areas which require improvements" implies such shortfalls were minimal (possibly minor procedural issues) and wouldn't ordinarily extend a yellow card but instead lift the yellow card.

So the EU was the best diplomatic decision that will allow the EU to continue to apply pressure on a Thai government that is heeding and respecting EU oversight. IUU requirements are not about ideological or governance issues and to make it so would reduce the effectiveness of enforcing IUU requirements. As some TVers point out, six months is a long time for the Junta to comply, so many factors that can affect progress, especially with uncontrolled public disclosures.

[DM07]

We are very satisfied with you , Thailand...no go and fix this bloody mess within the next 6 months, or else...

Doesn't sound all that satisfied to me!

[johnnytuc]

Can someone explain, what actually happens if Thailand do get a RED card?

[TimmyT]

suicidal leftist already led Europe to millions of parasites on it's welfare system. why does not EU mind it's own business and stop imposing it's destructive left-liberal values on independent countries?!

left liberal countries are like a rabid dog - not just infected by destructive ideology based on greed, but does whatever it takes to infect other countries...

[TimmyT]

Can someone explain, what actually happens if Thailand do get a RED card?

if Thai government will dare to sell all US governments bonds, which were bought on Thai taxpayer's money...