• Burmese
Thursday, May 15, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Asia

Thailand Banks on Tech to End Slavery at Sea as Workers Push for Rights

Thomson Reuters Foundation by Thomson Reuters Foundation
June 20, 2018
in Asia
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Migrant workers sort fish and seafood unloaded from a fishing ship at a port in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, January 22, 2018. / Reuters

Migrant workers sort fish and seafood unloaded from a fishing ship at a port in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, January 22, 2018. / Reuters

3.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SAMUT SAKHON/BANGKOK, Thailand — Enslaved on a Thai fishing vessel for 11 years, Tun Lin saw his fellow workers lose their minds one after another, with one fisherman jumping into the sea to end his life.

Some would start murmuring or laughing to themselves as they worked day and night in Indonesian waters on the cramped boat, often surviving on fish they caught and drinking water leaking from an onboard freezer.

“It was like a floating prison – actually, worse than prison,” the Burmese fisherman, who was sold into slavery, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Samut Sakhon, a Thai fishing hub some 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the capital Bangkok.

RelatedPosts

Musk, Myanmar, and the Murky Future of Internet Freedom

Musk, Myanmar, and the Murky Future of Internet Freedom

March 21, 2025
2k
Chinese Auto Giant BYD to Integrate DeepSeek, Broaden Self-Driving Tech

Chinese Auto Giant BYD to Integrate DeepSeek, Broaden Self-Driving Tech

February 11, 2025
409
Myanmar Migrant Workers Seek Help Over Wage Theft and Threats

Myanmar Migrant Workers Seek Help Over Wage Theft and Threats

January 21, 2025
1.5k

The 36-year-old, who was rescued in 2015 after losing four fingers and being stranded on a remote island for years without pay, is now lobbying for fishermen’s rights with the Thai and Migrant Fishers Union Group (TMFG).

Under growing consumer pressure, Thailand has introduced a raft of modern technologies since 2015 – from satellites to optical scanning and electronic payment services – to crack down on abuses in its multibillion-dollar fishing industry.

It is one of a growing number of countries using innovation to deal with modern slavery, from mobile apps in India to blockchain in Moldova, but experts warn against over-reliance on tech as a silver bullet without stronger workers’ rights.

“Technology can be a double-edged sword,” said Patima Tungpuchayakul, co-founder of the Labor Rights Promotion Network Foundation, a Thai advocacy group.

“It has become an excuse the government is using to justify they have done something, but in practice they don’t use it to solve the problem.”

More than half the estimated 600,000 industry workers are migrants, often from poor neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, United Nations (UN) data shows.

Tracking Devices

After the European Union threatened to ban fish exports from Thailand, and the US State Department said it was failing to tackle human trafficking, the Southeast Asian country toughened up its laws and increased fines for violations.

It banned the use of workers aged below 18 and ordered fishermen to be given contracts and be paid through electronic bank transfers.

Authorities ordered Thai vessels operating outside national waters to have satellite communications for workers to contact their families or report problems at sea, plus tracking devices to spot illegal fishing.

“We are serious in law enforcement regarding human trafficking and illegal labor cases,” said Weerachon Sukhontapatipak, a Thai government spokesman.

“There might not be abrupt change … it will take time.”

Thailand is also rolling out an ambitious plan, using iris, facial and fingerprint scans to record fishermen’s identities to make sure they are on the boats they are registered with and help inspectors spot trafficking victims.

Rights groups meanwhile have tried to use satellites to pinpoint the location of ships that remain at sea for long periods, potentially indicating enslavement.

But human trafficking expert Benjamin Smith said using satellites to tackle slavery at sea was not easy unless there is a lead on where to track in the vast ocean.

“I think people underestimate the size of the ocean and the ability to pinpoint where something as small as a boat is,” Smith from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

“If you have good information, intelligence, then satellite images can be good … It has to be a small part of a much bigger effort.”

Smith also highlighted difficulties prosecuting cross-border trafficking cases and maritime police funding shortages, adding that continued consumer pressure on firms to clean up their supply chains could be a potent force to help end slavery.

“That’s probably the best way you can start,” he said.

Good News

Fishermen remain at risk of forced labor and the wages of some continue to be withheld, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said in March.

To combat slavery, firms must improve workers’ lives, rather than cutting labor costs and recruiting informally to meet demand for cheaper goods, experts say.

“Smaller owners are getting squeezed, and still rely on brokers and agents, who dupe workers and keep them ignorant of their rights and conditions on the boat,” said Sunai Phasuk, a researcher with lobby group Human Rights Watch in Bangkok.

Workers are set to become more vocal with the May launch of the Fishers’ Rights Network, which aims to combat abuses, backed by the world’s largest canned tuna producer, Thai Union, and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

“Without enforceable rights at the workplace and the strength that comes from being represented by a union, labor rights violations and the mistreatment will continue,” said Johnny Hansen, chairman of ITF’s fisheries section.

Thailand’s ratification this month of the ILO protocol on forced labor also offers hope. It is the first Asian country to promise to combat all forms of the crime, including trafficking, and to protect and compensate victims.

“We have … committed to changing the law to allow workers to form unions, so we can work together to solve the problems,” said Thanaporn Sriyakul, an advisor to the deputy prime minister. “But the process is long, and it will take time.”

Thailand has also pledged to ratify two other conventions on collective bargaining and the right to organize, which campaigners say would better protect seafood workers.

This would be good news for Lin’s fishermen’s group, which has helped rescue more than 60 people since 2015, but has no legal status as Thai law does not permit fisher unions, leading rights advocates to use other terms, like workers’ groups.

“There are still lots of victims, and I want to help them,” Lin said. “As fishermen who have suffered in a similar manner, we understand each other’s needs and are able to help better.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Labor RightsTechnology
Thomson Reuters Foundation

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Agency

Similar Picks:

H&M’s Forced Exit Leaves 42,000 Myanmar Workers Asking How They Will Eat
Burma

H&M’s Forced Exit Leaves 42,000 Myanmar Workers Asking How They Will Eat

by Hein Htoo Zan
August 19, 2023
4.9k

Women workers bear the brunt of Myanmar’s fall from fashion, as global brands recoil from post-coup labor abuses.

Read moreDetails
Signal Down: Junta Blocks Last Secure Communication Channel in Myanmar
Burma

Signal Down: Junta Blocks Last Secure Communication Channel in Myanmar

by Mi Ei Thinzar Myint
July 23, 2024
4.5k

Move against encrypted app follows ban on VPNs as regime seeks to strangle information flows and resistance coordination.  

Read moreDetails
How Western Countries Are Helping to Erode Myanmar Labor Rights
Guest Column

How Western Countries Are Helping to Erode Myanmar Labor Rights

by Zung Ring
October 5, 2023
4.1k

Embassies and international NGOs have been all too happy to exploit local workers amid a junta crackdown and soaring inflation.  

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Garment Industry Unravels, Desperation is Rising
Burma

As Myanmar’s Garment Industry Unravels, Desperation is Rising

by Vincent MacIsaac
November 19, 2024
3.4k

Once considered a path out of poverty for young women from rural areas, Myanmar’s garment factories no longer pay their...

Read moreDetails
Int’l Labor Watchdog to Take Action Against Myanmar Junta
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

Int’l Labor Watchdog to Take Action Against Myanmar Junta

by The Irrawaddy
November 11, 2024
2.3k

The regime’s labor rights violations including forced recruitment could lead to loss of diplomatic recognition, prosecution of junta leaders, and...

Read moreDetails
Musk, Myanmar, and the Murky Future of Internet Freedom
Guest Column

Musk, Myanmar, and the Murky Future of Internet Freedom

by Surachanee Sriyai
March 21, 2025
2k

Myanmar resistance groups depend on Starlink to circumvent government controls. But this can also be their Achilles’ heel.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, in this photo released Wednesday by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. / KCNA via Reuters

N. Korea, China Discuss 'True Peace,' Denuclearization: KCNA

A ceremony to honor inmates of Mandalay Central Prison who the passed matriculation examination on June 18 in Mandalay. / Myat Pyae Phyo / The Irrawaddy

Matriculated Inmates Hope for Continuing Education

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

3 days ago
1k
How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

2 days ago
870

Most Read

  • Myanmar Resistance Briefly Captures Junta Battalion HQ in Bago

    Myanmar Resistance Briefly Captures Junta Battalion HQ in Bago

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • JFM: 12 ASEAN Billionaires Fueling Myanmar Junta Terror Campaign

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Soft Soil, Old Buildings and Junta Rule: How Yangon Became a Seismic Timebomb

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A Familiar Lie: Myanmar Junta Denies Deadly School Bombing

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.