The Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin, affirmed his commitment to the plight of the nation’s fisheries industry during a recent visit to Samut Songkhram. This vow comes on the back of pleas from industry representatives urging the fresh-faced government to reevaluate extant laws and lessen the blow of stringent measures tailored to curb illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. Staunch in his resolve, Thavisin declared that ameliorating the predicament of the fisheries sector was a top-shelf priority for the newly enthroned Pheu Thai-led government.
In a bid to take concrete steps, Thavisin, aged 61, suggested the establishment of a task-oriented committee. Expectations are ripe that this board would come under the leadership of Thamanat Prompow, the soon-to-be agriculture minister who also serves as the secretary-general of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP). The objective of the proposed committee is to devise a holistic strategy aimed at resolving the multi-faceted issues rocking the fisheries industry.
The delegation that met up with select individuals from the fisheries industry included the Pheu Thai party’s, Manaporn Charoensri, and the PPRP’s Phai Lik. Both are seasoned politicians rumored to be stepping into the shoes of the deputy transport and deputy commerce minister, respectively. Metaphorically sounding the gong of change, fisheries sector representatives urged the nascent government to alter 13 laws designed to stamp out IUU practices.
This call to action is a direct answer to the yellow card warning issued by the European Union (EU) in 2015 held against Thailand for IUU practices. Operators from the industry claimed that a host of IUU fishing restraints and worker-related regulations have led several businesses into oblivion. They suggested that the government should introduce incremental wage increases to blunt the immediate impact on their operational activities.
According to Thavisin, in the era predating the EU’s yellow card caution, the annual turnover of Thailand’s seafood exports touched the sky-high mark of over 350 billion baht. Nonetheless, this figure nose-dived to a seafood import rate of 150 billion baht following the issuance of the warning. Thavisin, recently crowned as the prime minister by royal consent, met with representatives of the global tourism and travel industry to delve into debt-centric issues. He positioned the fisheries sector as the third item on his political agenda, acknowledging its significance.
Proposing actionable solutions, Thavisin mooted the idea of creating a one-stop service center to deal with administrative issues like the documentation of foreign workers. He, however, recognized that issues demanding international cooperation may require more time for comprehensive resolution. Additionally, Thavisin agreed that wage increases constitute a substantial policy of every coalition partner. He reassured industry representatives of his administration’s commitment to preventing the imposition of undue financial pressure on businesses.
Thamanat echoed the clarion call for reforms within the fisheries sector. He vowed to form a working committee tasked with resuscitating the sector once he officially takes up the mantle of agriculture minister, according to a report by the Bangkok Post.
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