In this Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014 image from video, workers from Myanmar load fish onto a Thai-flagged cargo ship in Benjina, Indonesia
The U.S. government and major business leaders are renewing their call on the Thai government to crack down on slavery in its fishing fleets, and to punish people who force migrant workers to catch seafood that can end up in the United States.
The State Department, the U.S. seafood and retail industries and a member of Congress reacted swiftly Wednesday to an Associated Press investigation published this week that found slave-caught fish clouds the supply networks of major supermarkets, restaurants and even pet stores in the United States. The AP reported that hundreds of men were trapped on the remote Indonesian island village of Benjina, and tracked seafood they caught to Thai exporters who then sell to America.
“It has become increasingly clear that workers in the fishing industry, many of whom are migrants, are exploited at multiple points along the supply chain, from harvesting to processing,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a briefing Wednesday.
The State Department blacklisted Thailand last year for failing to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking. Psaki did not say whether current trade talks with Thailand include labor rights.
The National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Fisheries Institute, in a letter to the ambassadors of Thailand and Indonesia, also demanded to know what will be done to free the slaves described in AP’s coverage and bring their masters to justice. The industry leaders said that in the past they have asked the Thai government to address forced labor, but have lacked specific allegations.
“The AP article changes this dynamic,” they wrote.
The Thai government says it is cleaning up the problem and has laid out a plan to address labor abuse, including new laws that mandate wages, sick leave and shifts of no more than 14 hours.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued Wednesday that at least 1.6 million foreign migrant workers, most of them employed in the fishing industry, are now registered with the government and have the same labor protections as Thai workers. It also said the industry will be more closely monitored, with surveillance systems scheduled to be installed on more than 7,700 fishing vessels by June.
The ministry said Thailand’s military leader, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, “has designated this issue as a top national priority and directed all relevant agencies to integrate their work in order to expedite anti-trafficking efforts.”
On Wednesday, however, Prayuth asked the media not to report on human trafficking without considering how the news will affect the country’s seafood industry and reputation abroad.
Thailand’s biggest seafood company, Thai Union Frozen Products, announced Wednesday that it immediately cut ties with a supplier identified in the AP report after determining it might be involved with forced labor and other abuses. Thai Union did not name the supplier.
In the U.S., many companies that sell seafood from Thailand have said they are already taking steps to prevent labor abuse in their supply chains. Gavin Gibbons, spokesman for the National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of U.S. seafood sellers, said AP’s reports of labor abuses “have been particularly painful for the seafood community.”
He added that his members now plan to follow up using details from the report.
“Pointing to specific boats, producers and processors gives us the ability to push for aggressive investigation and enforcement,” said Gibbons. Martha Mendoza, AP
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