Taiwan committed to protecting rights of fishermen on deep-sea vessels

Re “Fishermen rally over working conditions: Seek Wi-Fi access on ships” (Metro, March 11): The critical points raised in the Globe article may have led some readers to wrongly think that the government of Taiwan neither takes the issue of migrant fishermen’s rights and at-sea working conditions seriously nor has stringent laws already in place to prevent and address violations such as those described.

Taiwan is committed to protecting human rights, including the basic labor rights of migrant fishermen, as a top priority. In this vein, the Taiwan government has adopted the Action Plan for Fisheries and Human Rights, and various guidelines are being drafted in a manual for operators of deep-sea fishing vessels and crew members to understand proper distant-water working conditions and needs aboard vessels, including the availability of Wi-Fi.

Representatives from the US Department of Labor and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston joined a roundtable discussion with international, Taiwan, US, and Massachusetts-based nongovernmental organizations and two Indonesian migrant fishermen during the 2024 Seafood Expo North America in Boston to better understand workplace and vessel conditions. I believe the meeting was conducive to further advance fishermen’s rights and human rights protections.

The Taiwan government will continue to work closely with the fishing industries and NGOs to further advance the welfare of fishermen and protect their rights.

CHARLES LIAO Director-General Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston