DPM:EU is satisfied with Thailand's moves against IUU issues

BANGKOK, February 26 (TNA) - Deputy Prime Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya says that the European Union (EU) has expressed its satisfaction with the Thai government's actions against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing issues. General Chatchai told journalists of the updated situation on Monday, after a meeting of an official sub-committee tasked with solving the IUU-related problems in the country. General Chatchai noted that the meeting was notified by a Thai delegation attending this week's meeting with an EU task force on IUU fishing issues in Brussels that the EU panel has expressed its understanding and satisfaction with the Thai government's moves against the IUU fishing-related issues. General Chatchai revealed that the EU committee is scheduled to visit Thailand during April 4-11, 2018 to follow up updates on Thailand's solution to the IUU fishing-related issues. According to the deputy prime minister, the EU committee has paid most attention to the Thai government's enforcement of laws seriously against issues related to the IUU fishing and decisive legal penalties against offenders. The deputy premier acknowledged that the Thai government has prosecuted up to about 80 per cent of IUU fishing offensive cases, from a total of over 3,000 cases so far, and has traced back all missing fishing boats, except two of them that have been missing for a long time, with all the updates having been reported to the EU panel. A panel of Thai authorities in charge of the solution to the IUU fishing-related issues will, meanwhile, hold a video conference with the EU committee on March 5 to initial discuss the updated situation prior to the latter's visit to the Thai Kingdom in April, with the first-handed information the EU panelists then finding to be later used for the EU's consideration and decision on whether its "yellow card" imposed on Thailand for IUU fishing issues should be lifted. (TNA)