MFA:Thai government no longer sends inmates to work in fishing industry

BANGKOK, January 20 (TNA) - The Thai government has decided to shelf a plan on sending inmates to work in the country's fishing industry on the voluntary basis. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a report, released on Tuesday, that the Thai government has decided to suspend the plan, following human right groups's opposition. The right groups alleged that the plan, if implemented, violates human rights of inmates and worsens accused human trafficking-related problems in the country. Late last year, the Thai Ministry of Labour proposed that inmates with less than a year left for their jail terms be sent, on the voluntary basis, to work in the local fishing industry to address its labour shortage problem and to provide them with jobs after they are freed from jail. Thailand's fishing industry employs more than 300,000 workers, a number of them now are migrant workers from neighbouring countries due to high demand of hard-working employees in the industry. (TNA)