Government urgently assists Thai fishermen in Indonesia

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) - The government, through the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, is urgently assisting Thai fishermen who were lured to work illegally on Indonesia's Ambon Island. Social Development and Human Security Minister Police General Adul Saengsingkaew told journalists on Friday that the move was in response to a recent submission of an open letter to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha by the Labour Rights Promotion Network (LPN), the Anti-Human Trafficking Network (ATN) and the Seafarers Action Centre (SAC), calling for concerned government agencies to help the Thai fishermen in trouble. The open letter said, apart from the Thai fishermen, Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao migrant workers were also found facing the same fate. Police General Adul stated that Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who is in charge of preventing and suppressing human trafficking-related problems, has, thus, ordered agencies concerned to fully solve the problem and assist the Thai nationals. According to the minister, his ministry is working with other agencies concerned on mapping out a joint action plan to urgently assist the Thai nationals, covering a dispatch of an ad-hoc team to Ambon to gather first-handed information and to bring back home the Thai nationals as soon as possible. (TNA)