On March 7, 2022, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned Assistant Minister from the Prime Minister’s Office performing duties for the Ministry of Labour Police Major General Nantachat Supamongkol, to preside over the meeting of the heads of agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Phuket to receive a briefing on the human trafficking situation in the fishing sector in Phuket. The occasion took place at the Phuket Provincial Labour Office. After that, Police Major General Nantachat and a group of NGOs attended a meeting to listen to the Phuket Provincial Port In and Port Out Control Center (PIPO) results at the Phuket Fisheries Checkpoint, Office of the Phuket Boat Notification Control Center.
On March 8, 2022, Police Major General Nantachat visited the area to inspect labour protection in sea fishing vessels at the Rassada Port, Phuket Province. Police Major General Nantachat said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and the Ministry of Labour under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, prioritize improvements on the prevention and solution of trafficking in persons to Tier 1 to comply with international standards and the International Labour Organization while advancing policies on the prevention and elimination of illegal fishing. This investigation is a collaboration between the Ministry of Labour, the Marine Police, and NGOs, including Stella Maris, the IJM Foundation, and the SR Law Office. The occasion allowed relevant units to have the same understanding and bring together challenges or obstacles from the inspections to be revised to make the implementation of labour protection in the fisheries sector more effective.
Police Major General Nantachat said that Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned him and his team to visit Phuket, to inspect and protect workers in marine fishing boats. In this visit, they listened to the performance report on labour obstacles in marine fisheries. They met with employees, employers, and stakeholders involved in driving government policies to prevent and tackle human trafficking. Today, they inspected four fishing boats. This included the Thong Charoensap 2, sized at 111.46 gross tons, with 38 crew members, including 2 Thai and 36 Myanmar nationals, and Thong Charoensap 8, sized at 118.89 gross tons, with 41 crew members, including 4 Thai and 37 Myanmar nationals. The other two vessels were the Chokkanchana 29, sized 113.33 gross tons, with 34 crew members, 3 Thai nationals, 31 Myanmar people, and Navayutkit, sized 43.50 gross tons, with 12 crew members, including 2 Thai and 10 Myanmar nationals. On this occasion, they emphasized the government’s policy to prevent and solve human trafficking to officers, employers, and employees on fishing boats. They especially emphasized welfare, the provision of hygienic food and drinking water, toilets, medical supplies, and medical rooms for first aid use in sufficient amounts to suit the work and duration of life on the boat. They also instructed employers to educate employees about working conditions, like how to use safety equipment tools at work, ensure good health while living on the boat, and check the availability of safety equipment on board before work.
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Division of Public Relations
8 March 2022
