Govt signs MoU with Vietnam

Govt signs MoU with Vietnam

Thailand and Vietnam are seeking closer cooperation in fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices (IUU).

Over the past few years, cooperation programmes between the two countries have been implemented through meetings of the Vietnam-Thailand joint working group on anti-IUU fishing. The third meeting is expected to take place in Thailand, according to the Vietnamese embassy.

Cooperation would ease the shortage of human, financial and technical resources, promote effective law enforcement related to marine fisheries and vessel regulation as well as help eradicate human trafficking, the embassy said.

Thailand has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on anti-IUU fishing and exchange of information to verify catch certificates with Myanmar, Fiji, Korea, Laos, Philippines and joint declaration with Japan. "Thailand also wants to have a MOU with Vietnam in the near future," the embassy told the Bangkok Post recently.

"Thailand's experience setting up an independent command centre to ensure effective enforcement of IUU fishing legislation, applying technology and the internet to fishing vessel registration and management, reducing the number of fishing vessels, banning fishing vessels from 2015, convincing owners to adapt to other purposes such as tourism, and government plans to acquire old fishing vessels are all measures that Vietnam can learn from," the embassy said.

"At the same time, the reorganisation of the fishery sector in Vietnam is an initiative that Thailand can refer to," it added.

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