Thai seafood industry crackdown sparks arrests

More than 100 people have been arrested in a crackdown on abuses in Thailand's multi-billion dollar seafood industry, officials say. Last April the European Union threatened to boycott the industry unless it tackled illegal fishing and allegations of human trafficking. On Monday, police said a taskforce set up since had investigated 36 cases and also rescued 130 trafficking victims. Thailand is the world's third largest exporter of seafood. Human rights groups have long highlighted abuses in the Thai industry, saying it is reliant on illegal fishing practices and overfishing, and involves trafficked workers from neighbouring countries who, they say, work in conditions akin to slavery.