Its too expensive I may leave

[webfact]

Promises unmet as Thailand tries to reform shrimp industry 
MARTHA MENDOZA, Associated Press

 

SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand (AP) — Facing international pressure over human trafficking in its seafood sector, Thailand promised almost a year ago to compensate victims of slavery and industry leaders vowed to bring all fish processing in-house.

 

That hasn't always happened. Instead, some formerly enslaved shrimp peelers have been deported. Shrimp peeling sheds are being inspected and authorized to keep operating.

 

The Associated Press found that while some Thai companies that export shrimp to the U.S. have given formerly entrapped workers better jobs in-house, others still use middlemen who employ laborers in remote, guarded warehouses.

 

Shed owners frequently break environmental, labor or safety laws. Seventy-five percent of the 109 inspected so far this year were cited for violations, and 24 were ordered to close.

 

Human-rights and media reports documenting abuse in Thailand's $7 billion annual seafood export industry have brought international pressure. Last year, the AP reported on slavery inside the Gig Peeling shed outside Bangkok in Samut Sakhon, where more than 100 people were locked inside and forced to work 16 hours a day, ripping guts, heads and tails off shrimp that entered supply chains of most major U.S. supermarkets and companies including Red Lobster, Whole Foods and Wal-Mart.

 

One of the workers, Tin Nyo Win, ran away and told police, who raided the factory and rescued the other workers, including his wife. This month, the couple were deported to Myanmar after being held almost a year in a Thai government shelter.

 

The government had said victims and witnesses of human trafficking could stay and work inThailand for up to one year while their cases were investigated. This year the U.S. State Department commended Thailand for reforms and removed it from a global human trafficking blacklist.

 

Those Thai reforms — on paper — include paying whistleblowers like Win and providing victims compensation, education, employment and other assistance. But Win said he and his wife weren't even given food sometimes.

 

"They don't treat us like humans. They treat us like dogs," Win said hours before Thai authorities took them away.

 

Authorities said that although the couple were victims of modern-day slavery, they had illegally entered Thailand to begin with. Nattamon Punbhochar at the Thai foreign ministry said the couple never requested compensation and were deported in accordance with a memorandum of understanding Thailand has with Myanmar.

 

Col. Prasert Siriphanapitat, Samut Sakhon deputy police commander, said five people including a shed owner have been charged in Win's case. All are out on bail.

 

Last year, facing a boycott over abuses, major seafood groups and certifiers decided to protect workers by moving all labor in-house, banning outsourcing of shrimp pre-processing. Yet dozens of pre-processing sheds continue to operate.

 

Some are large factories, others nothing more than large garages. Labor advocates say there's little oversight to ensure abuses aren't occurring.

 

The AP recently visited a handful of Samut Sakhon shrimp sheds buzzing with workers hand-peeling shrimp on residential streets or behind walls.

 

"We're following rules 100 percent," said Boonchai Seafood director Taweesak Suralertrungson.

 

Documents at Boonchai show it processes shrimp for May Ao Food Co., one of Thailand's leading exporters to the U.S.

 

Though Boonchai's operations passed a government inspection, the industry had vowed to eliminate middlemen. May Ao's shrimp carries global industry certification that says "peeling and heading of shrimp must occur in facilities owned by and completely controlled by" the processing plants. May Ao is also a member of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, which promised "to eradicate third-party pre-processing."

 

May Ao and TFFA officials initially said all shrimp peeling is in-house before conceding that it wasn't. TFFA President Poj Aramwattananont said May Ao's factory is too small to handle all the labor, and that there's nothing illegal about pre-processing in independent warehouses.

 

"We are not 100 percent clean. You will always find some problems, but those are rare," he said.

 

Some Thai seafood exporters have improved working conditions. Thai Union opened a large, clean peeling warehouse where 1,200 workers get subsidized meals and opportunities for bonuses.

 

"I have more rights. I like it," said Thet Paing Oo, 23, a migrant from Myanmar.

 

He said he spent six years working 15-hour shifts at shrimp sheds without a day off. Now his salary has increased and he gets one day off a week.

 

Yu Wa, 35, also from Myanmar, teared up at memories of her previous shed, where she was locked inside and paid by the kilogram, not per day.

 

"I am treated well and the boss is good," she said. "It's much better."

___

AP writers Esther Htusan in Yangon, Myanmar, and Natnicha Chuwiruch, Jason Corben and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok contributed to this report.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-09-22

[Wilsonandson]

Great article Martha.

 

Pulitzer prize-winning Associated Press National Writer Martha Mendoza is based in the Silicon Valley where she provides breaking news, enterprise and investigative reporting. Mendoza focused on human trafficking in 2015, cyber security in 2014 and covered Latin America from 2010 to 2013. Mendoza was a 2001 Knight Fellow at Stanford University and a 2007 Ferris Professor of Humanities at Princeton University. She also teaches in the graduate University of California, Santa Cruz Science Communications Program and is a senior fellow at the Institute for Justice and Journalism.

 

Human rights violations continue. Locked in sheds like animals, appalling.

[DNPBC0]

Given the outrageous sentencing of Andy Hall a few days days ago, Martha Mendoza would be wise to stay away from Thailand for the foreseeable future.  For those who haven't read the English executive summary of the original Finnwatch report which Hall co-authored, here's the link:
http://www.finnwatch.org/images/cheap has a high price_exec summary_final.pdf

[seajae]

same old, same old, looks like nothing has changed at all, lip service only then back to the way it was. The govt needs to come down on these people like a ton of bricks, shut down their businesses and seize all their assets as the only thing they understand is money and profits.

[LomSak27]

Nothing has changed, not much will. However as an example Costco is sourcing all its shellfish buying from South America. That is a total cut off of thai shrimp in less than one year.

Other grocery chains are facing the same pressure. That will be the end result. As the US buys between 40 and 59 percent of Thai shrimp in a given year, that is where the push will come from. Promises  ..... Lawsuits, governmental pressure will do zilch. Just more ta;;k and promises ....... Consumer pressure on companies will do something .  

 

Perhaps The EU, Russia or China will pick up the slack of declinng US orders.. Perhaps NOT.

[worgeordie]

"with workers hand-peeling shrimp on residential streets or behind walls."

thats sounds very hygienic,reforms are all smoke and mirrors, Thai's find it 

very difficult to follow rules and regulations,especially if its going to cut

into profits.

regards worgeodie

Edited September 22, 2016 by worgeordie

[shirtless]

What could we really expect , we can all rest assured there will be  many more empty promises and maybe a committee but the stat as quo will not change.

[Hawk]

 

"They don't treat us like humans. They treat us like dogs," Win said hours before Thai authorities took them away.

 

Authorities said that although the couple were victims of modern-day slavery, they had illegally entered Thailand to begin with."

 

 

According to Thai law they are criminals, therefore they were treated as such by this government.  Locked up for a year and deported without the promised compensation indicating that this government is no different from the shrimp slavery factory owner they escaped from.  It would appear that they were punished by this government for drawing international attention to the on going slavery issue when  the government simply wanted to hide that issue  under the carpet.

[Brer Fox]

Of course promises unmet. Too much money at stake and to lose for some at the top end of town. 

Any fool can catch the small fry in such activity like drugs, slavery or whatever but snaring the big fish that's something else. There is a protective net of money that surrounds them and keeps them safe.

[tukkytuktuk]

Of course promises unmet. Too much money at stake and to lose for some at the top end of town. 

Any fool can catch the small fry in such activity like drugs, slavery or whatever but snaring the big fish that's something else. There is a protective net of money that surrounds them and keeps them safe.

Last person who grassed on the big fish fled to Australia.

[starky]

8 hours ago, seajae said:

same old, same old, looks like nothing has changed at all, lip service only then back to the way it was. The govt needs to come down on these people like a ton of bricks, shut down their businesses and seize all their assets as the only thing they understand is money and profits.

So much like the current government then the only thing they understand is money and profits. Oh and a healthy serve of face saving when you get found out.  Which turns out not to be corruption anyway as it was a servants fault or the bidding process was transparent or you not know Thai. 

[sharecropper]

Imagine how well-policed the country would be if Thailand's journalists were able to report like this.

 

Of course, they'd be murdered or incarcerated if they did, by a smug, arrogant, self-regulating, plundering Elite (and I include the 'other lot' in this).

[BuckBee]

Boycott, sanctions only way forward, mother nature may step in soon though ...

[kannot]

human nature always sickens me

[catinthehat]

22 hours ago, seajae said:

same old, same old, looks like nothing has changed at all, lip service only then back to the way it was. The govt needs to come down on these people like a ton of bricks, shut down their businesses and seize all their assets as the only thing they understand is money and profits.

But alas one must consider that these same government officials only understand the money and profits derived from keeping these scumbags in business.

Always will continue to be a third world country.