Fishing industry traffickers get long jail terms
Three men have been sentenced to between eight and nine years in prison for trafficking Cambodian workers into the Thai fishing industry. Anti-trafficking police said the case came to light after the government repatriated approximately 230 Cambodian men in June 2015, many of whom were severely exploited on Thai fishing vessels. Abuse in the Thai fishing industry has been widely reported, with some victims spending months or years at sea with little or no pay, and subjected to extreme violence. Nath Sambath and Nget Phalla were sentenced to nine years each by Siem Reap Provincial Court, while Moeut Kia received eight years imprisonment. The six victims in the case were also awarded between 2 million and 20,000 million riel in compensation ($500-$5,000).
