Ap: Global Supermarkets Selling Shrimp Peeled By Slaves

[bust]

I believe them

[cavanami]

> Poj Aramwattananont, president of the association, said shrimp plants in Samut Sakhon no longer employed children or illegal foreign workers.

 

Translated...some months ago they registered all the foreign workers, now they are no longer "illegal" workers.

 

...double speak bullshit!!!

[Coss]

Shrimp Slaves Boycott: Thailand Slave Labor Controversy Sparks Call For Ban On Seafood Imports

 

 

Migrant laborers work at a shrimp factory in Samut Sakhon on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, in 2007. Human rights groups have claimed that thousands of children and illegal Myanmar migrants are working in Thailand's $2 billion-a-year shrimp export industry, often in conditions akin to modern-day slavery. Industry officials have long denied the allegations.

 

Politicians in the United States and international human rights organizations called this week for a boycott of seafood imports from Thailand after the largest shrimp producer acknowledged that some of its product could be derived from slave labor. Politicians and activists were reacting to an investigative report released Monday by the Associated Press, which found that some producers in Thailand’s $7 billion shrimp industry forced migrant laborers to work 16-hour days with little or no wages.

 

Thai shrimp can be found in products sold by major retailers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, according to the AP. The laborers, including some who had been tricked or sold into shrimp peeling factories without the freedom to leave, have endured modern-day slavery for years at a time.

 

"All of us may find ourselves eating a slave-made product without knowing it, but once we know it, we all have a moral obligation, I believe, to make a personal decision to boycott it," U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey and member of the House foreign relations committee, told BBC News. Smith was among those calling for a boycott of Thai seafood producers.

 

Thai Union, one of the largest shrimp producers in the world, admitted to the AP that it was unaware of where all of its shrimp came from and called the findings of the investigation a “wake-up call.†Thai Union leaders said they planned to change employment practices, beginning in 2016, with reforms that include using less migrant laborers to process seafood. Internal labor has been “a positive step towards our goal of ridding the Thai seafood sector of illegal labor practices," said Thiraphong Chansiri, chief executive of Thai Union, according to the BBC News report.

 

Greenpeace, the international human rights organization, in July called for a boycott of Thai Union after another AP investigation reveal abuses at the company’s Indonesian seafood processing plants. Global food giant Nestlé said last month that it had determined slave labor was used on fish it bought from Thai producers and hatched a plan to address the issue.

 

http://www.ibtimes.com/shrimp-slaves-boycott-thailand-slave-labor-controversy-sparks-call-ban-seafood-2228049

[Coss]

Caught again, Thailand can’t keep wriggling off the hook

 

The Nation December 18, 2015 1:00 am

 

Evidence of ‘slavery’ in the shrimp industry suggests an inability or unwillingness to protect rights by enforcing existing laws

 

Thailand is under an unwelcome international spotlight once again amid revelations about working conditions in its seafood industry. This time, though, the clamour for a boycott of Thai fishery products in the West might be heeded.

 

A recent investigation by the Associated Press news agency uncovered strong evidence that shrimp being sold in US restaurants and grocery chains had been peeled by migrant labourers working in slave-like conditions in Thailand.

 

Rights groups have been joined by US politicians in calling on consumers to boycott American retailers that sell seafood from this supply chain. Associated Press implicated dozens of restaurants and supermarket across America and said these outlets exist in all 50 states.

 

Last year a six-month investigation by the British newspaper the Guardian revealed that much of the shrimp exported from Thailand was processed by workers subjected to torture, wage-pilfering and other rights violations that would be classified as slavery in many countries.

 

Thai government officials and industry leaders often deflect blame by arguing that the migrants find employment here that is unavailable to them elsewhere. But behind this specious claim of altruism lies a much harsher truth involving the exploitation of desperate individuals in jobs that Thais typically shun.

 

The shoddy and sometimes dangerous working conditions, the low pay and the long hours bring the price of the product down and help explain why our seafood exports are globally competitive. Meanwhile the migrant workers - most from neighbouring Myanmar and Cambodia - suffer on in silence with scant opportunities to voice their grievances.

 

The labour rules in place here are poorly policed and easily circumvented by the cynical distribution of enough cash in the right pockets. The funds for these bribes often come out of the workers' pay, which is already far below the legal minimum wage. And, if the workers don't pay up, police can be summoned to charge them with illegal entry.

 

Migrants put up with subhuman conditions because they have little choice. Many are fleeing hardships, state oppression and warfare. This, however, doesn't give that the state, society or business sector a licence to mistreat them for gain.

 

It is unfortunate that it has taken threats from consumers halfway around the world to spur thoughts of change.

 

Thailand and the billion-dollar seafood industry of which it is a part must understand that the problem runs much deeper than the working conditions of migrant shrimp-peelers. Closer scrutiny of fishing practices has revealed that Thai fishing boats routinely harvest Indonesian waters, manned by workers from Myanmar so that, if the trawlers are caught, the boat owner can toss the hot potato to the Myanmar government.

 

Apart from working conditions and international law, there are also environmental concerns and the matter of dubious methodology. Equipment used to catch fish that can harm other marine species has been banned and efforts are being made to ensure that its use stops.

 

The fact that the world learns about these questionable practices from media reports suggests that the industry and the government lack the means to verify that the industry is abiding by regulations.

 

For the government, this is a warning that cannot be ignored. It's to be hoped that the charges do not become politicised. The world has changed. The earth itself is sick and the water is not as clean as it once was. Nor are fish as abundant.

 

The linking of labour practices to business and environmental concerns has been a trend in the making for years. It's time our government came to terms with it and made the needed changes.

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Caught-again-Thailand-cant-keep-wriggling-off-the--30275165.html

[cavanami]

...and exactly what did the protesters accomplish? except to change the faces of all the xxxxx, you can fill in the xxxxx...

[Coss]

Foreign media ‘slave labour report unfair’

 

JEERAPONG PRASERTPOLKRUNG

THE SUNDAY NATION December 20, 2015 1:00 am

 

THE government has slammed an unnamed foreign news agency for what it described as twisting the facts and causing damage to Thailand for reporting about the use of slave labour in the Kingdom, especially in the fishing industry.

 

The government has urged all sides to sympathise with it and understand its plight.

 

The team assigned by the government to tackle the use of forced labour in the fishing industry will explain the facts in relation to the report at a press conference at Government House tomorrow, Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

 

The team is overseen by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.

 

Sansern praised the media for covering the authorities' continued suppression of illegal labour and labour lawbreakers, which he said had resulted in the number of offences against Thais and migrant workers visibly decreasing.

 

But he said the aforementioned wire service's investigative report, which was picked up by local and foreign media outlets last week, could cause many people to believe that there was a major slave labour problem in Thailand and the authorities were not doing anything to stop it.

 

In the report, Myanmar workers held against their will at a shrimp factory talked about working in poor condition for 16 hours for little money.

 

Sansern said the news agency in question had observed the authority's factory-inspecting team in action in Samut Sakhon on November 9 and then presented a report that could cause an extensive misunderstanding.

 

He said the report, which led to renewed international calls to ban Thai fishery products especially shrimp products, was one-sided and careless and had left many people with a negative image of Thailand.

 

"The government would like to call for sympathy and understanding from all sides over this news report," he said.

 

"The detection of wrongdoings doesn't mean that Thailand supports the use of slave labour. On the contrary, we are proceeding with actions against illegal labour and we will create justice for all migrant labourers coming to work in Thailand."

 

Sansern said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was treating it as an issue to high importance and had called for the prosecution of wrongdoers - be they business operators, workers or state officials - in a bid to solve the problem.

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Foreign-media-slave-labour-report-unfair-30275287.html

[jitagawn]

Klassik Thai Reaction

[baa99]

Now charge them with les majeste offenses.

[Coss]

I have a deep distrust of organisations, that depend on public donations/funding for their existence, there are many who inflate and exaggerate to achieve their salaries.

 

However, the Thais have been caught, wilfully ignoring/enabling/participating in slavery practises.

 

The principle failing of all Thais, is that they think the quality of their PR, is better than the quality of the Western World's bullshit detectors.

[bust]

Unnamed? AP