Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has touted his crackdown on fishing industry abuses as a success, but disgruntled fishermen are now mulling mass protests against laws they describe as too harsh.
Gen Prayut, using his unchallenged powers granted him under the 2014 charter, tightened up rules to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, as well as forced labour, spurring the European Commission to lift the threat of a ban on Thai seafood. Trade bodies say the laws are pushing up costs in a $6-billion export industry that's already grappling with a surging currency.
"We unnecessarily have one of the world’s strictest fishing regulations and harshest penalties that are unfair to Thai fishermen," said Mongkol Sukcharoenkana, chairman of the National Fisheries Association of Thailand. "More than 100,000 people could protest unless the rules are eased. It’s a time bomb that’s ready to explode."
A gathering of over 2,000 fishermen and others from the industry is due Friday at a seafood market near Bangkok to air concerns.
Thailand is one of the world’s largest fishery exporters, making the sector a major employer. Bangkok-based Thai Union Group Plc, for instance, sells canned tuna under the popular Chicken of the Sea brand in the US.
Gen Prayut began tackling illegal fishing industry practices in 2015 after a string of complaints.
The pro-military coalition has a razor-thin majority in the elected lower chamber and faces a sizeable opposition bloc fiercely opposed to what it sees as continued army control. That makes even the hint of demonstrations a sensitive issue amid heightened political risk.
Opposition leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has said the rules imposed by the junta must be revised to avert a "collapse" of the fishing industry. He’s visited fishing communities and promised that his Future Forward Party will raise the issue in parliament.
The outgoing military administration — which remains in power as a new cabinet has yet to be sworn in — aims to address the sector’s concerns before the end of next month, according to Agriculture Minister Grisada Boonrach.
"Anything that can be adjusted now will be done right away, but amending the law will require parliament’s approval," he said in a briefing last week.
Mr Mongkol from the fisheries association said officials are taking too long to address trawlermen’s worries.
"They keep telling us to wait," he said. "We’ve been waiting for years and nothing has changed."