''The Thai government voted last week to ratify the International Labor Organization Convention on Work in Fishing (No 188). Thailand is the first Asian country to ratify the convention, which was first adopted by the international labor group more than a decade ago. Rights and labor organizations have been pushing for Thailand and many other Asian nations to ratify Convention No 188, which sets a standard for working conditions on fishing vessels and is seen as an important step toward eliminating labor abuses in the supply chains of international brands that get seafood from Thailand. The Thai Seafood Working Group has made advocating for Thailand to ratify Convention 188 a top priority for 2018. The move was described as a welcome development by Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), but she said Thailand – which has faced possible trade sanctions by the European Union because of years of gross abuses by fishing and fish-processing companies based in the kingdom – still had more to do..."