New law for Thai fishing industry has loopholes
Human rights campaigners say the government will struggle to enforce it
Phnom Penh — A new law to tackle abuses in Thailand’s multibillion-dollar fishing industry contains loopholes, labour rights campaigners said on Thursday, warning of difficulties in enforcement. The legislation published on Wednesday follows years of global scrutiny over abuse of Thai and migrant workers and mandates basic rights such as social security, medical care and rest periods. It will come into effect in six months. However, campaigners said the government would struggle to enforce the legislation and raised concerns that it remains vague on how any benefits would be accessed. “The new law does not mention that,” said Papop Siamhan, a project officer at the Human Rights Development Foundation. “We will have to wait for subregulations and there is no indication of when that will happen.” The law implements the International Labour Organization (ILO) Work in Fishing Convention, which Thailand became the first country in Asia to ratify in January. The convention puts the mini...
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