Govt scraps inmates on fishing boats plan
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) commended the Thai government's decision last week to scrap a proposed project to recruit prisoners to work on fishing boats.
The announcement came after 45 labour and human rights groups raised concerns about the project in a letter on January 14.
HRW said it hopes the government will also help solve the problem of human trafficking in the fishing industry and will work in close consultation with workers, employers and other stakeholders on effective labour rights protection.
HRW has called on the government to engage in a genuine dialogue to devise and enforce mechanisms as well as introduce additional legal reforms.
It also reiterated the need to improve working conditions in the industry and protecting the rights of migrant workers by granting them the right to form unions among other things.
