Thai court issues arrest warrant for human rights activist Andy Hall

[webfact]

Arrest warrant issued for human rights activist

By THE NATION

 

Photo credit from Facebook Andy Hall

 

BANGKOK SOUTH Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for rights activist Andy Hall on Tuesday, after he failed to show up for a court session.
 

The arrest warrant is to ensure he attends court to hear an Appeals Court verdict on multiple appeals against a September 20, 2016, criminal conviction.

 

Hall was sentenced then to four years’ imprisonment (reduced by one year and suspended for two years) and ordered to pay a fine of Bt200,000 (reduced to Bt150,000) after being convicted on criminal defamation and Computer Crimes Act charges. The conviction is related to a complaint filed by a Thai pineapple company, Natural Fruit Company, in 2013.

 

The lawsuit is related to Hall’s interviews with workers for a Finnwatch report, published in 2013. The interviewees alleged labour abuse which, when published by Finnwatch, resulted in Natural Fruit’s legal action.

 

Finnwatch is a non-governmental organisation focused on global corporate responsibility.

 

Should Hall fail to appear at Bangkok South Criminal Court again on May 31, the Appeals Court verdict may be read in absentia.

 

“We remain hopeful the Appeals Court will acquit Andy of all these charges. The charges against him stem from his legitimate work as a human rights defender and migrant worker rights activist. He is not a criminal,” said Sonja Vartiala, executive director of Finnwatch.

 

Hall is no longer resident in Thailand. He said he was not formally summonsed to attend the Court session on Tuesday.

 

Hall left Thailand shortly after his conviction claiming unbearable judicial harassment when additional criminal charges were filed against him by a chicken farm, Thammakaset Company Ltd, in November 2016. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30343854

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-25

[Justfine]

"migrant worker rights activist. "

 

Hmmmm

[stephen tracy]

A criminal conviction for highlighting the activities of criminals.

[ezzra]

if you can arrest the wind, you will arrest Hall, otherwise, put his

case in a very deep freezer, coz this man ain't coming back....

[Justfine]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

if you can arrest the wind, you will arrest Hall, otherwise, put his

case in a very deep freezer, coz this man ain't coming back....

Yes ruined his own future.

[stephen tracy]

Just now, Justfine said:

Yes ruined his own future.

How so?

[Thechook]

Thailand is trying to convince the world it is working on human rights but all the world sees is Thailand arresting and incarceration those that speak out against violations.  The abusers walk free and those trying to help are locked up.

[colinneil]

Once again Thailand is made to look stupid, arrest warrant for a man who highlighted big companies greed/ abuse.

When ohh when are those supposedly running the country realize they are making Thailand a laughing stock?

[Thailand]

3 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Once again Thailand is made to look stupid, arrest warrant for a man who highlighted big companies greed/ abuse.

When ohh when are those supposedly running the country realize they are making Thailand a laughing stock?

There are laws here in Thailand that appear to be designed to protect the guilty and put the innocent at risk. 

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Hall was sentenced then to four years’ imprisonment (reduced by one year and suspended for two years) and ordered to pay a fine of Bt200,000 (reduced to Bt150,000) after being convicted on criminal defamation and Computer Crimes Act charges.

exposing the truth exposes classic third world versus first world conflict

[Thechook]

Good luck getting extradition on a person who exposed human rights violations.

[Wallander4]

US will be looking - welcome back to Tier 3

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Justfine said:

Yes ruined his own future.

By doing his job but yes.

[darksidedog]

Laughable. Obviously he isn't going to turn up and good luck to Thailand trying to extradite him.

The courts would be better off without the defamation and computer crimes laws, that simply allow miscreants to imprison those who highlight their wrongdoing.

 

[alfalfa19]

2 hours ago, stephen tracy said:

How so?

by telling the truth, I reckon.  sometimes not a good idea in thailand. 

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

BANGKOK SOUTH Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for rights activist Andy Hall on Tuesday

and then went on to their controversial national asset Summer retreat at Doi Suthep for a well-deserved R&R with badminton, barbecue and beer.

[kaorop]

and most of our cointries continue to buy and sell products from this company, funny how profits obliterate morals in every nation.

[AlQaholic]

Couldn't EU impose some kind of thing, like they did with the fish industry?

[Emster23]

"And the truth shall set you free  jail time & a big fine"

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, Thailand said:

There are laws here in Thailand that appear to be designed to protect the guilty and put the innocent at risk. 

Not only in Thailand, I assure you.

Just have a good look into laws on the books in your own country.

You will be surprised.

I certainly was in my country.

[NextStationBangkok]

It is not all about Andy, if anyone defending the human rights here will end up same fate.

 

The message is, if you go the court for migrant rights, you will end up defamation lawsuit by the Thai individual or a Thai company.

 

Just shut the mouth, you aliens!

[rufanuf]

What did the company do wrong? And who on Thai visa is qualified to know this as fact?  OK so Thailand's legislation may be different to that of the west, and well lets face it "morals" are Christian based system of ethics, this is a Bhuddist country, tolerance is considered one of the highest virtues, and trying to make individuals or organisations lose face is considered to be the wrong side of tolerance. My concern more than anything else is Andy's apparent lack of comprehension of the situation he was creating for himself, by trying to "expose" what he and his western NGO deem unacceptable by their own standards. But who are they to try and impose those standards on others? Barring forced slave labour in chains, surely all free people living in a free world should be able to make their own decisions, where, who and how much they work for?

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Thailand said:

There are laws here in Thailand that appear to be designed to protect the guilty and put the innocent at risk. 

Well spotted.............

[lifeincnx]

3 hours ago, Justfine said:

Yes ruined his own future.

How do you figure that?

[Tchooptip]

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Once again Thailand is made to look stupid, arrest warrant for a man who highlighted big companies greed/ abuse.

When ohh when are those supposedly running the country realize they are making Thailand a laughing stock?

2

they are making Thailand a laughing stock

For those who love this country it does not make them want to laugh but on the contrary , its saddens them once more.

These judges sadly highlight the country because in a case like this, no one is fooled either in Thailand or abroad!  

The saddest thing is that these judges are not ashamed of anything and they prove it by  trampling on the most basic justice in the eyes of the world 
 

[OmarZaid]

My take is that if Thais don't do it, ex-pats should just buzz off . . . we are guests . . .

[phantomfiddler]

The single saddest thing about this country is the complete lack of justice, followed closely by the fact that a farang here has no rights whatsoever, lower than the fleas on a Thai dog,s back.

[IamNoone88]

Ah yes, migrant worker human rights .... isn't that something that has been around since and before the Paraoh's used labour to build the pyramids - 1200BC? It will never change........

[chang1]

47 minutes ago, rufanuf said:

What did the company do wrong? And who on Thai visa is qualified to know this as fact?  OK so Thailand's legislation may be different to that of the west, and well lets face it "morals" are Christian based system of ethics, this is a Bhuddist country, tolerance is considered one of the highest virtues, and trying to make individuals or organisations lose face is considered to be the wrong side of tolerance. My concern more than anything else is Andy's apparent lack of comprehension of the situation he was creating for himself, by trying to "expose" what he and his western NGO deem unacceptable by their own standards. But who are they to try and impose those standards on others? Barring forced slave labour in chains, surely all free people living in a free world should be able to make their own decisions, where, who and how much they work for?

I disagree with most of what you are saying but I will just ask 1 question - who buys their juice? Now look at it from that angle.

[HHTel]

51 minutes ago, rufanuf said:

this is a Bhuddist country,

It's not actually.  Some 94% of the people are Buddhists but has never been made official.  Officially, the country has 'freedom of religion' unlike Malaysia where Muslim is the state religion. 

I'm feeling picky this morning!