EDITORIAL : THE BANGKOK POST, THAILAND

Confront these abuse charges

There is a serious, relentless campaign, driven by western activists, to paint Asia as the source of many ills covered by the label of human trafficking.

But just because the campaign is well organised and funded does not mean it is ill-informed. In recent months, non-government organisations have focused on claimed abuses of workers at the southern China factories which build and assemble Apple products. Apple executives have been forced to address, correct or justify the charges. There is plenty of evidence that Thai agriculture is becoming a major target, particularly the fishing industry.

Thailand is a world leader in the highly competitive seafood market. From canned tuna to frozen shrimp to fresh fish, Thailand exports a remarkable 570,000 tonnes of seafood and products. These bring in US$2.75 billion, or nearly 87 billion baht.

There are some extremely short-sighted businessmen and bureaucrats out there who believe they can protect and even enlarge this tremendous export market by ignoring or fighting the activists who criticise Thailand. The truth, however, is that nothing could be more harmful. Now is the time, as some better informed business leaders have already recognised, to confront the accusers, deal with their charges, and come up with solutions to what could turn into a public relations disaster that could snowball into severe damage to the economy.

This will take vision, patience and time. It will also take the raw guts to admit that some of the charges against the Thai seafood industry are valid, distressing and even, under current Thai law, illegal. But failure to consider the outsiders' complaints will only cause the campaigns to multiply in number, and increase in volume.

For a number of reasons, the most serious charge against the Thai seafood industry is evidence of human trafficking. Particularly in the deep-sea fishing business, evidence exists that foreign migrants have been seriously abused, to the point of being killed. There are existing accusations against some boat owners that they have recruited foreign crewmen, used them essentially as slaves, and then murdered them rather than pay the already pitiful, agreed salary.

It must be hoped that authorities will take such charges seriously. Some, published by foreign NGOs and widely reprinted including in this newspaper, include highly specific charges, with company and boat names.

Similar and well-known charges have accused Thai factories of abusing migrant workers. Supposedly, owners sometimes pay lower wages than the minimum wage, provide unsanitary room and board, punish any workers who complain. Occasionally, such as with the April workers' strike at a Songkhla seafood factory, allegations of illegal treatment of workers have surfaced.

Some activists are clearly sympathetic to workers and migrants. And some are just as obviously driven by agendas. There is a virtual NGO-driven industry against the huge, US-based Walmart chain. Thailand has been dragged into that, because it is the top supplier of frozen seafood to Walmart, whose customers love top-quality shrimp.

The motives of the attackers, however, will not matter in the end. Government officials and business leaders must do a better job of confronting the actual complaints, and must be as public and as proactive as those charging Thailand with such serious crimes.