In addition to two landmark laws that completely ended legal slavery in Siam in 1905, King Chulalongkorn ordered additional protection. The key Employment Act BE 2443 (1900) required that all workers be paid; no one could be forced to work. The Conscription Act of 1905 outlawed the military's corvee system of drafting unpaid labour. The last slaves were legally freed a century ago, ending 387 years of slavery. Forced labour and all indentured service were relegated to the past.
Or at least that was the plan. For several decades now, slavery has been creeping back into the country. Indentured service has become common. There is real slavery of the very worst kind on fishing boats. Credit Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, then, as the only leader to try to make this disgraceful state of affairs into an international issue.
Last week, at the splendidly named Grand 60th Commemoration of Asian-African Conference in Jakarta, the prime minister brought up the slavery issue. The summit attracted 109 countries, and 21 sent their heads of state or government. A shameful total of one leader agreed to Gen Prayut's proposal to make this an international issue.
Even then, while host President Joko Widodo signed on to the prime minister's idea, he took it no further. As conference attendees noted, the presidents of Indonesia and Myanmar talked only about their economic partnership. This, despite the fact that Myanmar is the source of tens of thousands of victims of 21st century slavery. President Thein Sein was an army general himself during the days of the odious dictatorship. He has continued that regime's policy of simply writing off its unfortunate migrants, often victimised and enslaved.
Gen Prayut, of course, was motivated by last week's European Union threat to cut off Thai seafood imports unless it begins within six months to deal with a fishing industry that is out of control. The last updates to offshore fishing regulations were published in 1947. As stated baldly but accurately by the EU's environment and fisheries commissioner, Kanmenu Vella: "There are no controls whatsoever and no efforts being made whatsoever and illegal fishing is almost totally allowed."
This is a dreadful state of affairs, even without the possibility of losing 21 billion baht a year in exports at one fell swoop. The anarchy of the fishing and trawler industries has allowed criminal activities to creep in, spread and become common. Slavery is arguably the worst. There are many others, such as over-fishing, child labour, purse-netting, exploiting endangered species — and that is not even a full list.
It is necessary to get a grip on the fisheries, not to satisfy the EU but to make them part of a viable and sustainable Thai economy. Seafood is an integral part of the Thai diet. But Thailand is also a world leader in seafood exports. The lack of regulation, the cruel, sometimes murderous criminal activity in the industry has long been known. Better late than never, Gen Prayut has vowed to take necessary steps to start weeding out the criminals and the criminal behaviour.
A dispute has arisen over whether he should employ Section 44 of the interim constitution. Since this "dictator's clause" never should have existed, the argument is easily solved. There are plenty of laws and plenty of law enforcement agencies available to tackle this problem.
The police and courts have full means to expose slavery and deal with those responsible. The prime minister's job is to make sure they do it, starting immediately.