EU pleased with Thailand’s attempt to solve illegal fishing

BANGKOK, May 3 (TNA) - An ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Thailand has said that the European bloc is pleased with the Kingdom’s effort to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to deputy government spokesperson Sansern Kaewkamnerd. Jesus Miguel Sanz, Head of the EU Delegation to Thailand met Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Saturday and according to the deputy government spokesperson, the 28-member bloc believes Thailand is on the right track to solve the problem and it is “very pleased” with the country’s effort. The EU ambassador was invited by General Prawit to hear about the Thai government’s guidelines and progress in tackling the problem. Major General Sansern said the EU ambassador promises to covey the information to Brussels and to all EU member countries to help them better understand Thailand’s solutions to the problem. In April, the EU issued Thailand a final warning or a “yellow card” and gave the country six months to improve its measures to solve the problem or face an import ban from the 28-member bloc. Regarding Thailand’s solutions to the IUU problem, Major General Sansern said the country has amended outdated fishery laws, worked more closely with international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the fishery sector and launched the Command Center for Combating Illegal Fishing, which is tasked to inspect ports and fishing vessels nationwide. (TNA)