Fishermen protesting new royal decree

SONGKHLA, Dec 19 (TNA) -- Local fishermen using conservative fishing gears plan to submit a letter to the Fisheries Department protesting a strict new Royal Decree which forbids them from fishing beyond three nautical miles from the coast. The new Royal Decree is published in the Royal Gazette on November 13 and has become enforced the following day. It revokes the Fishery Law which was announced in April this year. Banchong Nasae, chairman of the Rak Thalay Thai association, a civic movement, said fishermen are worried on the new Royal Decree because it affects the livelihood of fishermen nationwide especially on forbidding fishermen who own small trawlers equipped with conservative fishing gears from catching fishes beyond three nautical miles from the coast. Mr Banchong said fishermen believed that the royal decree would benefit large fishing trawlers using modern equipment as they already catch more than 90 per cent of marine animals in Thailand presently. Protesting fishermen plan to submit the letter to the Fisheries Department next Monday and will give its officials on month to review the new Royal Decree before they take further action, said Mr Banchong. (TNA)