Displaced Rohingya people in Rakhine State. (Photo Credit: Foreign and Commonwealth Office/OGLv1)

British newspaper reveals more slavery cases in seafood sector

THAILAND
Tuesday, July 21, 2015, 23:50 (GMT + 9)

A new investigation carried out by the British newspaper The Guardian has revealed Rohingya migrants trafficking through deadly jungle camps and their sail to Thai fishing vessels as slaves to produce seafood sold across the world.

This media source states that these findings show that the trade in slaves is so profitable that some local fishermen in Thailand have been converting their boats to carry Rohingya migrants instead of fish.

Survivors offering testimony stated that this slavery practice was done with the knowledge and complicity of some Thai state officials.

Thailand’s seafood industry is worth an estimated USD 7.3 billion a year and the vast majority of its produce is exported. Last year, another The Guardian investigation tracked the supply chain of prawns produced with slave labour to British and American supermarket chains.

For his part, Matthew Smith, executive director of Bangkok-based Fortify Rights, pointed out that the link between the camps and the fishing industry was well-established and had a long history.

“When men or boys [held in traffickers’ camps] are unable to pay … to secure their freedom they are often sold to fishing boats for use in slave labour. This has been happening for decades. It’s a situation in the Thai fishing sector that’s been going on since the 90s, at least as far as we can tell,” he stressed.

On the other hand, given the fact that Thailand is facing unprecedented pressure to tackle human trafficking and clean up its fishing industry from the EU, authorities have taken decisive action, shutting down all active Rohingya trafficking camps and pushing through a series of reforms in its seafood sector, including requiring boat owners to register migrant workers and undergo new licensing and registration of all boats and equipment.

As a consequence of these measures, local seafood supply has declined and prices are reported to be rising across the country and according to the Thai Overseas Fisheries Association, about 3,000 fishing ships will not go to sea because of fears of fines imposed for not complying with the new regulations.

The entity remarked that the strike carried out by fishermen protesting about the reforms is causing the industry a loss amounting to USD 444 million a month.

In addition, anti-trafficking groups claim the changes made by the Thai authorities are insufficient to make any real difference.

“Our partners on the ground report that these changes are mainly cosmetic, and we shouldn’t assume that any changes made are anything more than propaganda. We continue to hear reports from our members of debt bondage, slavery and violence in Thailand’s export-orientated fishing activities,” stressed Melysa Sperber, director of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking, a coalition of anti-trafficking organisations.

Related articles:

- Measures proposed in aid of migrant fishermen
- Thai seafood sector joins efforts to upgrade the country's image

 
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