THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Prawit panel expects aviation red flag removed by year’s end

Prawit panel expects aviation red flag removed by year’s end

THE INTERNATIONAL Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was expected to remove a red flag imposed on Thailand over concerns about the country’s aviation safety by the end of this year, due to progress in resolving major issues raised by the agency in June 2015, according to a government committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.

Prawit panel expects aviation red flag removed by year’s end
  THE NATION
 
THE INTERNATIONAL Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was expected to remove a red flag imposed on Thailand over concerns about the country’s aviation safety by the end of this year, due to progress in resolving major issues raised by the agency in June 2015, according to a government committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.
Thai authorities will conduct a thorough check of various safety issues concerning 10 Thailand-registered airlines around June 30, prior to issuing an invitation for ICAO officials to perform their own safety inspection of the airlines in July, committee spokesperson Lt-General Kongcheep Tantravanich said yesterday.
Over the past 18 months, the government has amended the country’s laws to strengthen rules and regulations on civil-aviation safety, while setting up an agency to take responsibility for the overall safety system. 
In addition, new qualifications have been adopted for personnel responsible for airline safety, while new technical safety manuals are also now in use.
Meanwhile, the Prawit committee also reported that the government had amended more than 90 laws and regulations to resolve illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing issues after the European Union issued a warning to Thailand in April 2015. 
The panel has urged fishermen to follow the new rules and regulations, especially those engaging in fishing outside Thai territorial waters. 
Moreover, the deputy premier wanted authorities to speed up the prosecution of human-trafficking cases that are connected to illegal fishing activities, the spokesman said.
On the issue of illegal labour, Kongcheep said there were an estimated 2.63 million foreign workers in Thailand, but only about 1.25 million of them were working legally while the rest did not have proper documentation to work in the Kingdom, including many in the fisheries sector.
He said that while illegal workers had to leave the country by November, they would be able to re-enter later provided they had the proper paperwork. 
In addition, smart ID cards would be issued to foreign workers with the correct documents, with Samut Sakhon and Ranong being the first two provinces chosen for a pilot project to improve the welfare of foreign workers, Kongcheep said.

RELATED
nationthailand