Thai government totally bans IUU fishing vessels

BANGKOK, September 14 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, in his capacity as Chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has exercised his special power under the Article 44 of the country's Provisional Constitution to totally ban fishing vessels found with the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing with its immediate effect. Thai Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives Teerapat Prayoonsitthi told journalists of the update on Wednesday after meeting with his ministry's executives. Teerapat said that the Thai prime minister also authorized his ministry's Department of Fisheries and the Marine Department, under the Ministry of Transport, to impose fines against those failing to comply with the order. Article 44 legitimises the special power of the Thai prime minister and the NCPO chief by giving him free rein to issue any order for the sake of national security, reforms or unity without any normal legislative, executive or judicial procedures. (TNA)