Thailand: No plans to make prisoners work fishing boats

2015-01-16 13:39

Bangkok - The Thai government has no plans to make prisoners work on fishing boats, officials said on Friday.

The Thai government denied plans widely reported by media in November that it would use prisoners as labour on fishing boats to reduce the number of illegal or trafficked migrants on the vessels.

"We will not use prisoners on fishing vessels now or in the future," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sek Wannamethee.

Sek attributed the reports to a brainstorming session conducted by the Ministry of Labour as part of efforts to stop human trafficking.

He categorically denied that such plans were ever likely to be implemented.

The denial comes a day after 45 NGOs and trade unions submitted a letter to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha condemning the idea.

The groups had argued that such measures would not solve "Thailand's endemic trafficking problem”.

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