Global daily news 23.06.2014

***Thai government condemned in annual US human trafficking report

US downgrades Thailand to lowest ranking in human trafficking index for 'systematic failure' to prosecute slavers

Despite frequent media reports of slavery in the Thai fishing industry the Thai government is still failing to investigate or prosecute offenders, the US report says. Photograph: Chris Kelly for the Guardian
In January this year the Thai embassy in Washington signed a $400,000-plus deal with leading US law firm Holland & Knight. The money was for lobbying to persuade the White House, Congress and US departments of state and defence that Thailand is a country that fights human trafficking and forced labour.
It seems not to have been money well spent. On Friday Thailand was downgraded to the lowest ranking in the state department's annual report on Trafficking in Persons. The money invested in lobbying therefore represents both a defeat and a serious embarrassment for the Thai authorities.
In truth though, it has looked in recent weeks like the Thais were resigned to this US condemnation. Earlier this month, Thailand was the only government to vote against ratifying a new treaty to stop forced labour drawn up by the UN's International Labour Organisation.
A couple of days later days the law firm emailed a clarification on behalf of the Thai embassy – Thailand had voted against because it was not sure it could implement the treaty, but it would adopt it anyway.
Bangkok's failure to get to grips with the gross exploitation of workers was laid bare in the recent Guardian investigation which found that slaves are being used on Thai fishing boats that serve the global prawn industry. Some of the revelations – summary executions, 20-hour days with no pay, men traded among boat owners like animals for a few hundred pounds – beggared belief. If US minds were not already made up, this was further convincing evidence in favour of a downgrade.
The downgrading of countries that are American allies is always a subject of debate, however, according to former US anti-trafficking ambassador Mark Lagon.
Behind the scenes US embassies in the countries' and regional bureaus will have been arguing that the US has "other equities than human rights" in countries such as Thailand and Qatar, he said. Whether the US can afford to be candid about governments in turmoil and facing anti-coup demonstrations, such as Bangkok's, will also have been a factor.
"Clearly there will have been intense debate about whether Thailand or Qatar deserve a downgrade and questions around the valuable relationship the US has with its strategic partners," Lagon said.
With such partners, economic sanctions that could be triggered by a tier 3 ranking are often waived, so that the impact comes instead from the attached moral stigma – particularly for a country like Thailand that openly promotes itself as a relaxed tourist destination.
The downgrade will be seen as a "confirmation of loss of face" for the Thai government, says migrant rights expert Andy Hall, but it is important to note that this "face [was] lost a while ago now".
"A tier 3 status for Thailand is called for as acknowledgement of the severity of the human trafficking situation in Thailand and failure of successive administrations to address the breakdown in rule of law and migration policy that have led to this poor situation," he says.
The Thai government has issued numerous statements in the last week proclaiming its expectation for an upgrade, claiming that it has "tackled the human trafficking problem" in Thailand. As proof, it points to the creation of government task forces and higher prosecution and conviction rates than last year.
But in its analysis of Thailand's anti-trafficking progress, the state department was just short of scathing.
The report cites corruption "at all levels" as impeding significant headway and claims that anti-trafficking law enforcement remains insufficient compared with the overall scale of trafficking and slavery. It also states that, despite frequent media and NGO reports detailing instances of trafficking and slavery in sectors like the fishing industry, the government has "systematically failed" to investigate, prosecute or convict boat owners and captains, or even officials, complicit in the crimes.
The document also describes "credible reports" of corrupt officials engaging in commercial sex acts with child trafficking victims, colluding with traffickers, and protecting brothels. And it pointed to separate criminal defamation suits filed against individuals like Andy Hall – who documented trafficking violations in a food processing factory – and two journalists who published excerpts of a report on the trafficking of Rohingya refugees (and the Thai Navy's alleged involvement), as possibly "silencing" other activists and media.
The company identified by the Guardian as having slaves in its prawn supply chain, Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP), also moved this week to defend its position.
amid news that Europe's largest retailer, Carrefour, together with Norwegian supermarket chain Ica, has stopped purchasing its products added to pressure.
CP's chairman Dhanin Chearavanont wrote publicly condemning "all aspects of human trafficking and slavery" and said he had personally instructed his company to stop buying fishmeal from suppliers suspected of sourcing from slave boats. He added that the company wanted to work with the Thai government and with independent NGOs to audit the supply chain and rid it of slavery. With powerful connections to top-level politicians in Thailand, and listed by Forbes as the country's wealthiest man, the billionaire's acknowledgement of the problem was seen as essential by local campaign groups to any real progress. Dhanin also met David Cameron in Downing Street last year, although the visit was not recorded in the prime minister's list of official meetings.
Human rights activists remained sceptical that slavery would be tackled in the absence of clear details from the Thai government and the industry of what action they would take.
Phil Robertson, deputy director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch said: "The Thai industry has looked the other way for so long on abuses in Thailand's fishing fleets that I expect corporate monitoring of supply chains will fall far short of what is needed unless truly independent NGOs and representatives of the migrant fishermen themselves are at the centre of those efforts. And even then, it will be hard – because the use of trafficked persons is systematic and pervasive in these fishing fleets and there has been little political commitment from the Thai government to clean it up."
The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) also argued that market-led solutions such as auditing and certification, which the Guardian found were often faked, would be inadequate on their own to eradicate abuse.
"Parts of this industrial model are predicated on modern slavery and we must work to pick this apart. It is critical that there is an immediate response from companies and that it includes respect for fundamental workers' rights such as freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining," Liz Blackshaw leader of the ITF programme on fisheries said.
In a statement the Thai government said it disagreed with the state department's decision but would continue to fight against trafficking. "In 2013, Thailand made significant advances in prevention and suppression of human trafficking along the same lines as the state department's standards," it said. "While the latest TiP report did not recognise our vigorous, government-wide efforts that yielded unprecedented progress and concrete results, Thailand remains committed to combating human trafficking. It is a national priority. Human trafficking is anathema to our nation's core values."
***Thai government condemned in annual US human trafficking report
FROM DER WESTEN:

Kommentar
***WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
20.06.2014 | 13:00 Uhr
WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil.

Essen. Schon zu der WM in Brasilien wurde war die Kritik bezüglich der menschenunwürdigen Zustände im Vorfeld groß. Im Hinblick auf die Austragung der WM 2022 in Katar werden die kritischen Stimmen immer lauter. Auch Vorwürfe gegen Airlines wie Emirats nehmen mittlerweile vehement zu.

Die WM in Brasilien kommt so langsam in Schwung, die Stimmung wird immer besser. Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil. Katar steht mehr und mehr im Blickpunkt der Kritik. Und das nicht nur wegen Ungereimtheiten bei der Vergabe (Korruption) oder den klimatischen Bedingungen (Wüstenhitze) des aufstrebenden Golfstaats. Vielmehr regt sich Widerstand gegen die menschenunwürdigen Zustände, unter denen die Gastarbeiter, die die Stadien und Hotels für die WM errichten, zu leiden haben. Der Hungerlohn, die schlechte Unterbringung, die kaum vorhandenen Rechte, die fehlende Arbeitssicherheit. Laut Amnesty International sind bereits hunderte Gastarbeiter auf den Baustellen gestorben.
Pascal Brückmann

Nun bekommt die Kritik eine neue Dimension. Es gibt Vorwürfe gegen die Vorzeige-Airline des Emirats, Qatar Airways. Die Internationale Verkehrsgewerkschaft (ITF) beklagt, dass Angestellten der Fluggesellschaft bei Schwangerschaft die Kündigung drohe und es den Mitarbeitern verboten sei, in den ersten fünf Jahren ihrer Firmenzugehörigkeit zu heiraten. Weiterhin müssten die Mitarbeiter unter Aufsicht in Gemeinschaftsunterkünften wohnen und eine Sperrstunde einhalten. „Qatar Airways ist aus Sicht der Angestellten eines der repressivsten, herrschsüchtigsten und unangenehmsten Unternehmen weltweit“, so die ITF.

Ich finde, diese Informationen gehen alle Fluggäste etwas an. Schließlich drängt die Airline, übrigens genauso wie Etihad und Emirates, gerade massiv in den „europäischen Luftraum“ ein und macht hiesigen Carriern wie der Lufthansa mit immer neuen Strecken das Geschäft streitig. Jeder kann, jeder sollte für sich prüfen, ob er eine solch fragwürdige Unternehmenskultur unterstützt.

WM-Land Katar in der Kritik | DerWesten - Lesen Sie mehr auf:

Kommentar
WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
20.06.2014 | 13:00 Uhr
WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil.

Essen. Schon zu der WM in Brasilien wurde war die Kritik bezüglich der menschenunwürdigen Zustände im Vorfeld groß. Im Hinblick auf die Austragung der WM 2022 in Katar werden die kritischen Stimmen immer lauter. Auch Vorwürfe gegen Airlines wie Emirats nehmen mittlerweile vehement zu.

Die WM in Brasilien kommt so langsam in Schwung, die Stimmung wird immer besser. Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil. Katar steht mehr und mehr im Blickpunkt der Kritik. Und das nicht nur wegen Ungereimtheiten bei der Vergabe (Korruption) oder den klimatischen Bedingungen (Wüstenhitze) des aufstrebenden Golfstaats. Vielmehr regt sich Widerstand gegen die menschenunwürdigen Zustände, unter denen die Gastarbeiter, die die Stadien und Hotels für die WM errichten, zu leiden haben. Der Hungerlohn, die schlechte Unterbringung, die kaum vorhandenen Rechte, die fehlende Arbeitssicherheit. Laut Amnesty International sind bereits hunderte Gastarbeiter auf den Baustellen gestorben.
Pascal Brückmann

Nun bekommt die Kritik eine neue Dimension. Es gibt Vorwürfe gegen die Vorzeige-Airline des Emirats, Qatar Airways. Die Internationale Verkehrsgewerkschaft (ITF) beklagt, dass Angestellten der Fluggesellschaft bei Schwangerschaft die Kündigung drohe und es den Mitarbeitern verboten sei, in den ersten fünf Jahren ihrer Firmenzugehörigkeit zu heiraten. Weiterhin müssten die Mitarbeiter unter Aufsicht in Gemeinschaftsunterkünften wohnen und eine Sperrstunde einhalten. „Qatar Airways ist aus Sicht der Angestellten eines der repressivsten, herrschsüchtigsten und unangenehmsten Unternehmen weltweit“, so die ITF.

Ich finde, diese Informationen gehen alle Fluggäste etwas an. Schließlich drängt die Airline, übrigens genauso wie Etihad und Emirates, gerade massiv in den „europäischen Luftraum“ ein und macht hiesigen Carriern wie der Lufthansa mit immer neuen Strecken das Geschäft streitig. Jeder kann, jeder sollte für sich prüfen, ob er eine solch fragwürdige Unternehmenskultur unterstützt.

WM-Land Katar in der Kritik | DerWesten - Lesen Sie mehr auf:
http://www.derwesten.de/wp/reise/wm-land-katar-in-der-kritik-id9490413.html#plx1009226320
WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
20.06.2014 | 13:00 Uhr
WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil.

Essen. Schon zu der WM in Brasilien wurde war die Kritik bezüglich der menschenunwürdigen Zustände im Vorfeld groß. Im Hinblick auf die Austragung der WM 2022 in Katar werden die kritischen Stimmen immer lauter. Auch Vorwürfe gegen Airlines wie Emirats nehmen mittlerweile vehement zu.

Die WM in Brasilien kommt so langsam in Schwung, die Stimmung wird immer besser. Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil. Katar steht mehr und mehr im Blickpunkt der Kritik. Und das nicht nur wegen Ungereimtheiten bei der Vergabe (Korruption) oder den klimatischen Bedingungen (Wüstenhitze) des aufstrebenden Golfstaats. Vielmehr regt sich Widerstand gegen die menschenunwürdigen Zustände, unter denen die Gastarbeiter, die die Stadien und Hotels für die WM errichten, zu leiden haben. Der Hungerlohn, die schlechte Unterbringung, die kaum vorhandenen Rechte, die fehlende Arbeitssicherheit. Laut Amnesty International sind bereits hunderte Gastarbeiter auf den Baustellen gestorben.
Pascal Brückmann

Nun bekommt die Kritik eine neue Dimension. Es gibt Vorwürfe gegen die Vorzeige-Airline des Emirats, Qatar Airways. Die Internationale Verkehrsgewerkschaft (ITF) beklagt, dass Angestellten der Fluggesellschaft bei Schwangerschaft die Kündigung drohe und es den Mitarbeitern verboten sei, in den ersten fünf Jahren ihrer Firmenzugehörigkeit zu heiraten. Weiterhin müssten die Mitarbeiter unter Aufsicht in Gemeinschaftsunterkünften wohnen und eine Sperrstunde einhalten. „Qatar Airways ist aus Sicht der Angestellten eines der repressivsten, herrschsüchtigsten und unangenehmsten Unternehmen weltweit“, so die ITF.

Ich finde, diese Informationen gehen alle Fluggäste etwas an. Schließlich drängt die Airline, übrigens genauso wie Etihad und Emirates, gerade massiv in den „europäischen Luftraum“ ein und macht hiesigen Carriern wie der Lufthansa mit immer neuen Strecken das Geschäft streitig. Jeder kann, jeder sollte für sich prüfen, ob er eine solch fragwürdige Unternehmenskultur unterstützt.

WM-Land Katar in der Kritik | DerWesten - Lesen Sie mehr auf:
http://www.derwesten.de/wp/reise/wm-land-katar-in-der-kritik-id9490413.html#plx375069453
20.06.2014 | 13:00 Uhr
WM-Land Katar in der Kritik
Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil.

Essen. Schon zu der WM in Brasilien wurde war die Kritik bezüglich der menschenunwürdigen Zustände im Vorfeld groß. Im Hinblick auf die Austragung der WM 2022 in Katar werden die kritischen Stimmen immer lauter. Auch Vorwürfe gegen Airlines wie Emirats nehmen mittlerweile vehement zu.

Die WM in Brasilien kommt so langsam in Schwung, die Stimmung wird immer besser. Wirklich gute Nachrichten produziert das Ausrichterland der WM 2022 hingegen noch nicht. Im Gegenteil. Katar steht mehr und mehr im Blickpunkt der Kritik. Und das nicht nur wegen Ungereimtheiten bei der Vergabe (Korruption) oder den klimatischen Bedingungen (Wüstenhitze) des aufstrebenden Golfstaats. Vielmehr regt sich Widerstand gegen die menschenunwürdigen Zustände, unter denen die Gastarbeiter, die die Stadien und Hotels für die WM errichten, zu leiden haben. Der Hungerlohn, die schlechte Unterbringung, die kaum vorhandenen Rechte, die fehlende Arbeitssicherheit. Laut Amnesty International sind bereits hunderte Gastarbeiter auf den Baustellen gestorben.
Pascal Brückmann

Nun bekommt die Kritik eine neue Dimension. Es gibt Vorwürfe gegen die Vorzeige-Airline des Emirats, Qatar Airways. Die Internationale Verkehrsgewerkschaft (ITF) beklagt, dass Angestellten der Fluggesellschaft bei Schwangerschaft die Kündigung drohe und es den Mitarbeitern verboten sei, in den ersten fünf Jahren ihrer Firmenzugehörigkeit zu heiraten. Weiterhin müssten die Mitarbeiter unter Aufsicht in Gemeinschaftsunterkünften wohnen und eine Sperrstunde einhalten. „Qatar Airways ist aus Sicht der Angestellten eines der repressivsten, herrschsüchtigsten und unangenehmsten Unternehmen weltweit“, so die ITF.

Ich finde, diese Informationen gehen alle Fluggäste etwas an. Schließlich drängt die Airline, übrigens genauso wie Etihad und Emirates, gerade massiv in den „europäischen Luftraum“ ein und macht hiesigen Carriern wie der Lufthansa mit immer neuen Strecken das Geschäft streitig. Jeder kann, jeder sollte für sich prüfen, ob er eine solch fragwürdige Unternehmenskultur unterstützt.

WM-Land Katar in der Kritik | DerWesten - Lesen Sie mehr auf:
http://www.derwesten.de/wp/reise/wm-land-katar-in-der-kritik-id9490413.html#plx375069453




FROM TRADEWINDS:



***Owner’s jail term ‘best memorial’ for 25 lost in Albion Two sinking
Panagiotis Lemos given 15-year sentence after conviction for ‘disruption of safety in sea transportation’ in case filed under Greek safety legislation
A Greek lawyer acting for the families of crew killed when the 27,000-dwt bulker Albion Two (built 1976) sank in 1997 has hailed the conviction of owner Panagiotis Lemos as “the best memorial” for them.
London-based Lemos, 84, was found guilty in a Greek court of “disruption of safety in sea transportation” connected to maintenance of the seriously corroded ship, which went down 40 kilometres (30 miles) west of France in bad weather with the loss of all 25 people onboard.
His sentence of 15 years in jail was suspended until an appeals court hearing.
In 2003, a manslaughter trial was dropped when the widow of the Greek second officer withdrew her accusation.
But lawyer George Trantalides, who represents some of the Ukrainian victims’ families, filed a case under Greek safety legislation in 2008.
He told TradeWinds the sentence was the biggest in Greek shipping history.
“This decision was the best memorial for 25 souls due to the great tragedy caused by Lemos,” he said.
Lemos, who ran London-based Panagiotis A Lemos & Associates, was not in court to hear the verdict. He is also not commenting on the case.
Trantalides says Lemos must appear before the Greek consul in London every 15 days and also provide a guarantee of EUR 20,000 ($27,000) within two months.
A civil court in Piraeus has ruled the owner is liable to pay EUR 4.9m in compensation to the families of the overseas crew but he is thought to have no assets.
Trantalides said not one euro has ever been paid.
The vessel was carrying a cargo of steel products from Antwerp, Belgium, to the Caribbean when it sank in heavy weather in February 1997, although the vessel was not reported overdue until early March 1997.
It had undergone repairs costing more than $700,000 at Western India Shipyard in 1996 and passed an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) enhanced survey under a port-state control inspection at Gdynia, Poland.
A surveyor’s report into the sinking blamed serious corrosion problems and minimum maintenance by the owner.
“It is clearly evident from the documents produced that the Albion Two was affected by very serious corrosion problems, whereas the last owners restricted the ship’s maintenance to the strict minimums — minimum steel renewal based on a minimum of measurements of the important ship’s structures,” the report said.
The study was produced in proceedings before the Antwerp Commercial Court relating to the loss of the cargo.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said at the time: “It shows that the owners were prepared to operate a substandard vessel without the slightest concern for the safety of the seafarers onboard.”
Lemos told TradeWinds after the accident: “It’s a tragedy. In the beginning, I thought the radio was damaged or the radio operator was sick. We have known the crew for a long, long time, which increases the tragedy for us.”
The families subsequently tried to freeze insurance payments due to Lemos.
Legal action was launched in Cyprus, Belgium and England against Oinousse Navigation — a single-ship Cypriot company, which was the legal owner.
It had fixed-cost liability cover from insurance company Sphere Drake.
The vessel’s market value was only about $3.5m. The cargo was insured for about $9m but the owner could limit its liability to a maximum of $3m.
FROM AD HOC NEWS:

20.06.14 | 22:10 Uhr | 19 mal gelesen | prnewswire.co.uk
***ITF: Passengers 'worried about flying on LAN and TAM'
LONDON, June 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) LATAM network reports that it is hearing of concerns from passengers due to fly on LAN and TAM planes during a strike expected to begin in Peru on 26 June. Unions report that more than 200 mechanics – over 70 per cent of all LAN Peru mechanics – will not be certifying airplane flights during the strike, which is expected to affect operations across Latin America, including during the World Cup.
WM - Rihanna huldigt Klose: Das deutsche Babeweiterlesen
LAN Peru aviation mechanics are responsible for the security of the flights of LAN and TAM Airlines (the LATAM Airline Group), and their function is fundamental to the maintenance of the aircraft and the safety of flights.
On 26 and 27 June a strike is likely to take place, called by the SITALANPE trade union, which represents 70 per cent of all those mechanics. This is expected to result in cancellations and delays across the region. The mechanics are unequivocal: their labor is not replaceable because they are certified to work on the aircraft. "We are the ones that review the planes each time that they land and if we do not sign the logbook of the aircraft, they do not leave.  Without our approval, no plane will be able to fly and therefore the whole company will stop," explained Juan Carlos Talavera, a LAN Peru aviation mechanic and press secretary of SITALANPE.
Lima, Peru, is the central hub for maintenance work in the holding company that includes both the LAN and TAM Airlines. The Peruvian mechanics maintain the cargo and passenger aircraft for LAN Argentina, LAN Chile, LAN Ecuador, LAN Peru, and TAM and LAN Cargo.
Dario Castillo Alfaro, the leader of the LAN Chile mechanics' union, commented: "Our mechanics' union is supporting the Peruvian workers and is ready to express its solidarity and support. As Chileans, we are depending on our Peruvian co-workers to protect the aviation sector in Latin America from the kind of cost cutting in operations that threatens the security of our passengers. As LAN and TAM workers we know that on behalf of passengers and aviation workers, it is our obligation to inform customers of potential problems and risks. The future of aviation in South America is being threatened by the company's refusal to negotiate in Peru and Argentina."
The ITF LATAM Network, which represents unions working across the airlines, has been assisting passengers with information about possible delays, in particular via the Facebook pages www.facebook.com/pages/Latam-Network-ITF/311133405678274 (in English) and www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008053089507&fref=ts&ref=br_tf (in Spanish).
LAN Peru aviation mechanics, who ensure the safety of LAN and TAM planes, say that they have not received a salary increase in over 10 years and are paid half of what Chileans and Argentineans receive for doing the same work in the same company. Rather than resolve this problem, they report, the company has terminated seven mechanics, given forced leave time to their experienced technicians and hired temporary mechanics without experience in the company.
Meanwhile, flight attendants at LAN Argentina have been working without a legal collective bargaining agreement since the start of the Argentinean subsidiary in 2005. Argentinian aviation workers report that, prior to the 2014 World Cup, TAM Airlines fired pilots and cabin crews and cut routes in Brazil in order to increase profits. This has generated worries that they will not be prepared for the avalanche of visitors to Brazil. Some 80 percent of TAM's management are reportedly new. Cabin crew members point out that if they do not have decent working conditions and adequate rest their ability to carry out their vital safety functions may be impaired.
LAN Peru is the central hub for mechanical work on LAN and TAM, while attendants from LAN Argentina fly daily to Miami, Punta Cana, San Paulo, Lima and Santiago. Many of the increased LAN and TAM flights to Brazil for the World Cup have been routed through Argentina.
For more information see also http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm
SOURCE International Transport Workers’ Federation