S'pore urged to help trafficked fishermen
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Singapore should "seriously evaluate" re-flagging foreign fishing vessels which dock at its port to help curb the exploitation of trafficked fishermen, a recent study has said.
Academic Dr Sallie Yea studied cases of 63 trafficked Filipino fishermen on long-haul vessels that dock in Singapore. Her paper was presented at a talk held on Tuesday by migrant workers’ rights group Transient Workers Count Too.
The government has said it has no jurisdiction to deal with such cases because trafficking is not committed by “Singapore-flagged ships, Singapore employers, or within Singapore waters”. But Dr Yea’s report suggests the government could evaluate the possibility of adopting measures similar to New Zealand, where foreign fishing vessels are re-flagged with a New Zealand flag so they are subject to local labour laws.
