Human Rights Abuse Revealed in Taiwan’s Fishing Industry

The News Lens
Date: 2016/04/15
Translated and compiled by Shin-wei Chang

On April 2, the Taiwan government passed the draft for amendment of the Fisheries Act due to being issued a yellow card from the EU. Less than two weeks later, Greenpeace has released a report slamming Taiwan’s fishing industry for human rights abuses and the government for the ineffective implementation of its laws.

Huang Hung-yan, deputy director-general of Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency, today urged Greenpeace to provide the agency with relevant evidence and promised to start investigations upon receiving any new information.

After the EU raised concern about illegal fishing in Taiwan last October, Taiwan’s government has been working on amending the Fisheries Act, reinforcing regulations regarding shark finning, illegal fishing, fishing boat registrations and fisheries tracking systems.Greenpeace’s latest report reveals, with 1.6 million foreign workers engaged in Taiwan’s fishing industry, human and labor rights abuses are frequently heard of, but few of them have undergone legal investigation.     [FULL  STORY]