ID :
364743
Thu, 04/23/2015 - 13:24
Auther :

Thailand believed to address IUU within EU dateline

BANGKOK, April 23 (TNA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan says he believes that Thailand should address Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing over the next three months and the European Union (EU) should lift its "yellow card" issued to Thailand on April 21 within its six month-dateline. General Prawit expressed the confidence at a meeting of concerned authorities in Bangkok on Thursday to discuss the possibility of the enforcement of an executive decree by the interim Thai government to address IUU and control the operations of Thai fishing boats outside the Thai waters. According to the deputy premier, the promulgation of the executive decree by the Thai Cabinet in accordance with Sections 21 and 44 of the Provisional Constitution, which is expected to solve illegal fishing right away, while the amended Thai Fishery Act is waiting for an official announcement in the Royal Gazette. Stressing that Thailand is fully cooperative, the deputy prime minister revealed that concerned authorities will, from now on, have weekly meetings to discuss solutions to the EU's yellow card. The deputy prime minister insisted that concerned Thai authorities will also discuss solutions to alleged human trafficking to address concerns raised earlier by the United States, which also included Thailand in its list of countries with the most worried human trafficking situation. Meanwhile, a network of transnational labor acknowledged that Thailand's attempts to solve human trafficking-related issues have remained unsuccessful, urging Thai authorities to emphasize on arresting suspected human traffickers, rather than victims. (TNA)

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