...[P]roblems plaguing Southeast Asia’s notorious fishing industry remain messy and unresolved.

Nearly 3,000 fishermen have been rescued from Benjina Island...But hundreds more Thai, Myanmar, Cambodian and Lao fishermen are believed to remain stuck there....

...Returned fishermen...said forced labor, human trafficking and non-payment of workers continue to be a concern.

...[H]undreds of foreign fishermen are still caught in Indonesia, because of a lack of identity documents or being deemed to have worked illegally.

...[T]here have also been signs of progress...The Thai government recently ratified the ILO protocol against forced labor and is now drafting a law against it.  

...“This makes Thailand the first member country, the first country in Asia to ratify this protocol.  And we’re still waiting to see the law that follows, the draft act, if it advances the law against forced labor in terms of victim protection.”

...Enforcement of regulations was the best way to raise standards in the fishing industry, Judd said.

The ILO is working with businesses and employee groups, as well as the government, to try to ensure that workers are not made to work more than 14 hours a day.