By Khmerization
I hope I won’t be labelled an “ultra-nationalist” or an “extremist” for what I am going to say in this opinion piece. With clear conscience, I hope the majority of readers will agree with my views here that the granting of fishing licences to foreign fishing companies to fish in Cambodian territorial waters off the coast of Koh Kong is not in the best interests of Cambodia and the Cambodian fishermen.
While the Cambodian fishermen have been fined and arrested for fishing in Cambodian waters, foreign fishermen like the Vietnamese and the Thai fishermen have been given unrestricted access to fish freely in Cambodian territorial waters for just a small amount of licence fees of 60,000 Baht ($1500) per month for each big fishing trawlers. Based on reports in the Thai press, more than 100 Thai fishing trawlers have been fishing in Cambodian waters everyday. With some trawlers having the capacity to load up to 100 tons of fish, those Thai trawlers seem to have made a handsome profit for a pittance.
Allowing foreign fishing trawlers to fish in Cambodian waters is bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, the anarchic granting of licences to foreign fishing companies looks fishy. It must have involved with rampant corruption because licences have been granted by the Koh Kong authority in secrecy, licence fees have not been made public and the Finance Ministry seem to have played no part in this affair. Secondly, the granting of fishing licences to too many big foreign fishing trawlers will lead to uncontrolled and anarchic fishing. This is a recipe for an irreversible depletion of the Cambodian fish stocks. Thirdly, but most importantly, the Cambodian markets are in short of fish supplies and fish products. Cambodia imported fish and fish products such as prohok, smoked and dried fish from Vietnam and Thailand. More often than not, these fish and fish products were fished from Cambodian waters, taken into Vietnam and Thailand, made into fish products and re-exported back into Cambodian markets. Sadly, incomes from Cambodian fish fall into foreign hands, instead of Cambodian hands.
The Cambodian government, or the Koh Kong authority for that matter, must look after and protect the Cambodian fishermen and Cambodian local fish industry first. While Cambodian fishermen are struggling to make ends meet, the government must not facilitate foreign fishermen at the expenses of the Cambodian fishermen. By this, I am saying that the government should ban all foreign fishing trawlers and give Cambodian fishermen full access to the Cambodian waters in question. Only by taking this measure can Cambodia protect its own interests and that of the Cambodian fishermen and local fish industry. By banning foreign fishermen in Cambodian waters, thousands of fishing jobs will be generated for local Cambodian fishermen and incomes from fishing will undoubtedly help the local economy as well as boosting Cambodian fish exports. And this will help in reducing the numbers of Cambodian migrant workers seeking jobs overseas, including constructions and fishing jobs in Vietnam and Thailand.
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I hope I won’t be labelled an “ultra-nationalist” or an “extremist” for what I am going to say in this opinion piece. With clear conscience, I hope the majority of readers will agree with my views here that the granting of fishing licences to foreign fishing companies to fish in Cambodian territorial waters off the coast of Koh Kong is not in the best interests of Cambodia and the Cambodian fishermen.
While the Cambodian fishermen have been fined and arrested for fishing in Cambodian waters, foreign fishermen like the Vietnamese and the Thai fishermen have been given unrestricted access to fish freely in Cambodian territorial waters for just a small amount of licence fees of 60,000 Baht ($1500) per month for each big fishing trawlers. Based on reports in the Thai press, more than 100 Thai fishing trawlers have been fishing in Cambodian waters everyday. With some trawlers having the capacity to load up to 100 tons of fish, those Thai trawlers seem to have made a handsome profit for a pittance.
Allowing foreign fishing trawlers to fish in Cambodian waters is bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, the anarchic granting of licences to foreign fishing companies looks fishy. It must have involved with rampant corruption because licences have been granted by the Koh Kong authority in secrecy, licence fees have not been made public and the Finance Ministry seem to have played no part in this affair. Secondly, the granting of fishing licences to too many big foreign fishing trawlers will lead to uncontrolled and anarchic fishing. This is a recipe for an irreversible depletion of the Cambodian fish stocks. Thirdly, but most importantly, the Cambodian markets are in short of fish supplies and fish products. Cambodia imported fish and fish products such as prohok, smoked and dried fish from Vietnam and Thailand. More often than not, these fish and fish products were fished from Cambodian waters, taken into Vietnam and Thailand, made into fish products and re-exported back into Cambodian markets. Sadly, incomes from Cambodian fish fall into foreign hands, instead of Cambodian hands.
The Cambodian government, or the Koh Kong authority for that matter, must look after and protect the Cambodian fishermen and Cambodian local fish industry first. While Cambodian fishermen are struggling to make ends meet, the government must not facilitate foreign fishermen at the expenses of the Cambodian fishermen. By this, I am saying that the government should ban all foreign fishing trawlers and give Cambodian fishermen full access to the Cambodian waters in question. Only by taking this measure can Cambodia protect its own interests and that of the Cambodian fishermen and local fish industry. By banning foreign fishermen in Cambodian waters, thousands of fishing jobs will be generated for local Cambodian fishermen and incomes from fishing will undoubtedly help the local economy as well as boosting Cambodian fish exports. And this will help in reducing the numbers of Cambodian migrant workers seeking jobs overseas, including constructions and fishing jobs in Vietnam and Thailand.
