Ending slavery in Thailand needs local solution and unions, activist says

[webfact]

Ending slavery in Thailand needs local solution and unions, activist says
BY ALISA TANG

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The fight against slavery in Thailand's multibillion-dollar seafood industry will fail unless solutions are "localized" and workers are granted the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, a prominent British activist said.

Thailand's reputation has suffered in recent years after numerous investigations by news organizations and rights groups into human trafficking, slavery and violence in its seafood industry.

The country, which has been politically unstable for a decade and is currently under military rule, has vowed to crack down on human trafficking and slavery, and recently introduced reforms to its fisheries law.

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-humantrafficking-thailand-unions-idUSKCN0XO26L


-- Reuters 2016-04-28

[EricBerg]

For real change and sincere attempts to make changes a whole different mindset is needed. Respect for life and dignity is part of that. To many in charge lifes do not matter when profits can be made. And as the profits are huge, violence and slavery will remain integral part of the business.

[yellowboat]

These problems says a lot about the Thai elites. Some of them are probably decent enough people and some are quite the opposite .

[SOTIRIOS]

....slavery....what slavery.....???

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[bangkokfrog]

As a dreaded "farang", I don't pretend to have any expertise on what is needed to solve this blight on Thailand. It certainly needs local solutions, but I can't see that unions are part of the answer. To be effective, trade unions need two things. The first is the ability to undertake industrial action when all else fails. Would the powerful families controlling these industries and/or the government allow this? I think not. The second is an inclusive membership where all workers are considered equal. Would the average Thai workers in these industries consider themselves the equal of their Burmese, Khmer or Laos counterparts and vote to undergo hardship or go on strike to support them? I know not.

[Kabula]

I was a white slave once!!

I made it to retirement!

I was a slave to the military, many large Corporations, banks and two ex-wives.

It probably would have been easier working on a fishing boat. I like fishing and being outdoors!

Hard to fix a problem you can't see.

[klauskunkel]

Thailand's reputation has suffered

The suffering of an "abstract construct" will not prompt changes, the collective suffering of select pocket books will prompt changes.

[craigt3365]

Ending slavery will happen when corruption is dealt with. Even with the best laws, if the police are corrupt, nothing will happen. Just brown envelopes under the table.

[Mook23]

U gotta love this. Slavery (sla-ve-ry!!!) still rampant here anno 2016.

[than]

U gotta love this. Slavery (sla-ve-ry!!!) still rampant here anno 2016.

Review your history, the great pyramids were not built by slaves.

Recent archaeological excavations have recently learned that the reality was probably much different. At that time, the majority of workers were not slaves, but rather workers and artisans paid by the Pharaoh.

[FourAces]

I was a white slave once!!

I made it to retirement!

I was a slave to the military, many large Corporations, banks and two ex-wives.

It probably would have been easier working on a fishing boat. I like fishing and being outdoors!

Hard to fix a problem you can't see.

I was a slave to the military, many large Corporations, banks and two ex-wives.

You poor bastard

[Laughing Gravy]

I was a white slave once!!

I made it to retirement!

I was a slave to the military, many large Corporations, banks and two ex-wives.

It probably would have been easier working on a fishing boat. I like fishing and being outdoors!

Hard to fix a problem you can't see.

I was a slave to the military, many large Corporations, banks and two ex-wives.

You poor bastard

Whilst funny and tongue in cheek, there is a slight difference there old chap. You had the opportunity to walk away.

[Mook23]

U gotta love this. Slavery (sla-ve-ry!!!) still rampant here anno 2016.

Review your history, the great pyramids were not built by slaves.

Recent archaeological excavations have recently learned that the reality was probably much different. At that time, the majority of workers were not slaves, but rather workers and artisans paid by the Pharaoh.

It's just a pic ... don't take it/yourself so seriously. The underlying "moral" is important ;-)

ps. I'm sure the pyramids were built by aliens and used as beacons for their spaceships.

[trainman34014]

Farang no unerstan' Thailan'....no slavery here !

[kannot]

U gotta love this. Slavery (sla-ve-ry!!!) still rampant here anno 2016.

not true http://harvardmagazine.com/2003/07/who-built-the-pyramids-html

[BirdsandBooze]

As a dreaded "farang", I don't pretend to have any expertise on what is needed to solve this blight on Thailand. It certainly needs local solutions, but I can't see that unions are part of the answer. To be effective, trade unions need two things. The first is the ability to undertake industrial action when all else fails. Would the powerful families controlling these industries and/or the government allow this? I think not. The second is an inclusive membership where all workers are considered equal. Would the average Thai workers in these industries consider themselves the equal of their Burmese, Khmer or Laos counterparts and vote to undergo hardship or go on strike to support them? I know not.

May I draw your attention to this recent strike and outcome.

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1456825013

[than]

U gotta love this. Slavery (sla-ve-ry!!!) still rampant here anno 2016.

Review your history, the great pyramids were not built by slaves.

Recent archaeological excavations have recently learned that the reality was probably much different. At that time, the majority of workers were not slaves, but rather workers and artisans paid by the Pharaoh.

It's just a pic ... don't take it/yourself so seriously. The underlying "moral" is important ;-)

ps. I'm sure the pyramids were built by aliens and used as beacons for their spaceships.

another fan of STARGATE and all spin-off ?

[bitcoinforever]

look at history , that is where you will find the answer to slavery in thailand , boycott their products to they come to understand the year is 2016 not 1845. look at what martin luther did to end discrimination on the buses he had all the blacks just not take the bus anymore and organized other ways for people to get to work. how fast would it take for thailand to end slavery if tomorrow no one used or bought thai products wow 2 days maybe 5 days.

[ttthailand]

I think part of the problem is that there are some people who are better, so some think, than other people in this country. Unless you feel that everyone is equal you may find yourself looking down on some and even totally dehumanizing others. Add this mindset to all the corruption and it is easy to see why slavery happens.

[In the jungle]

Union member = fish food

[spidermike007]

What is required, is concern on the part of the central government, and a willingness to go after the criminals involved, regardless of who they are, who they know, how powerful they are, how much money they have, or how much they are paying to the right people. They also need to go after the top executives of the companies that are supporting slavery, and using slaves on their fishing boats, to this day, with full knowledge of it.

And a far, far less timid and compromised judiciary system. So much could be done. So little is being done. All talk and no action makes Johnny a dull boy indeed.

Of course human compassion is needed also. What these people are being subjected to is horrendous, all in the name of money and profit. But, how do you change a society or ask it to be more compassionate? It is best to start by introducing the deterrent the has been missing for decades. Shame on the authorities for doing so little.

[Prbkk]

These companies thrive in an environment of corruption, exploitation, monopoly, cronyism. To that extent Thailand is ideal for them: and they will continue to squeeze every last satang, by whatever means, until they are stopped. They make no contribution to social development, they are not good citizens, they off-shore their wealth. Leeches.

[craigt3365]

These companies thrive in an environment of corruption, exploitation, monopoly, cronyism. To that extent Thailand is ideal for them: and they will continue to squeeze every last satang, by whatever means, until they are stopped. They make no contribution to social development, they are not good citizens, they off-shore their wealth. Leeches.

That description fits a lot of the political leaders here also....sadly.....

[spidermike007]

These companies thrive in an environment of corruption, exploitation, monopoly, cronyism. To that extent Thailand is ideal for them: and they will continue to squeeze every last satang, by whatever means, until they are stopped. They make no contribution to social development, they are not good citizens, they off-shore their wealth. Leeches.

That description fits a lot of the political leaders here also....sadly.....

Well, one could argue that the description fits alot of the politicians all over the world. Are there any clean politicians left anywhere, at the national level? Think Clinton, Trump, Berlusconi, King Vlad (estimated fortune of $35 billion), Pavlo Lazarenko ($115 to 200 million), Arnoldo Aleman ($100 million plus), Joseph Estrada ($80 million), Spiro Agnew, Duke Cunningham, Alberto Fujimori, and so many others. I am not sure if there is one honorable member of the entire house and senate, with the possible exception of Elizabeth Warren.

[craigt3365]

Huge difference between politicians in the West versus here. Freedom of press and a good judiciary help keep them relatively honest. At least with regards to laws. Which we know, don't keep politicians from doing "dirty" deals. LOL

But nothing like here. Where you can, and do, get away with murder. Same in Russia and other countries like that. We may not like Clinton and Trumps methods, but they are legal and relatively in the open. They have to be.

[SABloke]

Ending slavery in Thailand needs local solution and unions, activist says

Not really...an effective police force would also do the trick

[laolover88]

You can define "slavery" in many different ways and at different periods of time. Everyone knows about the Atlantic slave trade, not so many about the scandals of the chinese brick making industry, or enslavement in India and Child Labour everywhere. It is thought that there more people presently 'enslaved" than at any time in recorded history. Of course in Thailand they are not "Thais" but Burmese, Indonesians etc.. I find the trade in human beings incomprehensible until you put race and money into the equation.