News Forum - Thai officials warn prisons over forced fishing net labour

[Thaiger]

Following a December investigation by Thomson Reuters Foundation about abuse of Thai prisoners forced to make fishing nets, officials are warning prisons. The investigation found that prison guards beat prisoners who didn’t meat certain targets, and disallowed them to shower. Prisoners were also not paid minimum wage, and sometimes not paid at all. In February, 31 Thai and international rights groups petitioned for the United States to halt the purchase of nets made by two major companies that relied on Thai prison labour. Now, Thailand’s Department of Corrections has sent letters to 143 prisons calling on them to stop fishing […]

The story Thai officials warn prisons over forced fishing net labour as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Guest1]

49 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

Prisoners were also not paid minimum wage, and sometimes not paid at all.

I think that with minimum wage, they can't pay back the cost for a day in prision.  Most people in prison belong there for a crime they comitted. That cost the taxpayers money. So they should repay that with work, imho. And making fishing nets is not like making stones or building roads, like it still was legal in developed countries, some decades ago. Before the inmates got often more rights, as their victims. 

I have a question, sre the heavily guarded prisioners

[Fanta]

A day rate for net making prisoners is a start. Why not a standard pay rate for all prisoners doing any type of contract labor? These abuses will continue, in either physical or financial form, until an independent body is tasked with checking the books and working conditions of prisoners. Prisoners in Thailand aren’t even third class citizens without an ombudsman. With the implementation of a guaranteed pay rate for prisoners it is inevitable that some prisoners wanting to earn money will be forced to pay a % or flat fee to work.

[Fanta]

7 minutes ago, Guest1 said:

I think that with minimum wage, they can't pay back the cost for a day in prision.  Most people in prison belong there for a crime they comitted. That cost the taxpayers money. So they should repay that with work, imho.

Regardless of their crimes. an imprisoned criminal’s punishment is loss of freedom and sometimes a court fine. When society takes away someone’s freedom then society must care of prisoners needs. Society orders it so society pays for it. The solution is to send less people to prison. That takes education and that costs money. Nothing for nothing. A sentence is not 1 year prison and make 50 fishing nets in return for bed and breakfast.  That is called slavery. 

[ThaiEyes]

I think some guards’ pocket money will be seriously impacted by this if it actually happens that is…