A second batch of 14 Thai fishermen are being brought home after complaining about working conditions off the coast of Somalia, according to Labour Minister MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul.
The 14 are among 20 crewmen aboard the Wadani 2 who were allegedly sent to work overseas without permission from the Thai labour authorities.
They requested transport home, while the remaining crew said they will continue to work with their Iranian employer, MR Chatu Mongol said yesterday.
Eight days ago, 18 fishermen on their sister trawler, the Wadani 1, were rescued and returned to Thailand after complaining of overdue wages and a lack of fresh water.
Officials are now questioning them, as they plan to file a lawsuit against "a person who embezzled money", the labour minister said.
Last week, crew members accused broker Nithiwat Thiranantakul of talking them into working overseas but then failing to pay their wages.
Thai authorities are also investigating whether their Iranian employer was involved in any wrongdoing.
However, when questioned by United Arab Emirates-based Thai Minister Counsellor Sophit Matpongtua, the fishermen on Wadani 2 did not implicate their boss.
They said that rather than causing them problems, their employer helped them, the labour minister said.
The employer agreed to pay the Wadani 2 crew members' visa fees and their August salary in advance so they could pay travelling expenses.
All 14 are currently in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, from where they will fly to Tehran before catching a flight to Bangkok.
They will get further financial aid from the fund set up to help overseas workers and also help from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, said the labour minister.