"‘A new era of slaves’: Thailand’s plan to loosen fisheries laws renews fears of illegal fishing, forced labour", April 15 2024

Thailand is proposing sweeping changes to fisheries laws that could weaken penalties for illegal fishing and the protection of workers, reversing gains made several years ago and threatening billions of dollars worth of trade, opponents say.

The changes include reduced penalties for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing ...
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Labour protections – aimed at ensuring the safety of mostly migrant workers at sea – could also be rolled back.

Some draft bills include re-allowing the transfer of boat crews at sea and removing requirements for vessels to provide crew lists before leaving port. These raise concerns about workers’ welfare and the heightened risk of human trafficking.

The Thai parliament is currently considering the raft of new bills from different political parties in the government and opposition.

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In 2014, the United States Department of State had also slapped Thailand with a Tier 3 ranking in its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the lowest grade possible.

Some reports of exploitation and forced labour in the industry have persisted even after reforms. On average, more than 100 workers die at sea every year. 

“Working on boats is a life-risking profession and people who work on boats must be protected by law,” said Ms Patima Tungpuchayakul, co-founder of the Labour Protection Network (LPN), an organisation fighting for migrant worker rights in Thailand.

“I think that the penalties should be higher. It could prevent businessmen from wrongdoing and encourage them to try to operate legally instead of seeing these workers as a new era of slaves,” she said.

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