European firms decry Thai trial of British activist

BANGKOK, August 28, 2014 (AFP) - A group of major European companies has voiced alarm at the trial of a British activist who could be imprisoned in Thailand for his investigation into alleged labour abuses in the kingdom's food industry.

Andy Hall faces several civil and criminal lawsuits submitted by Thai fruit processor Natural Fruit in response to accusations of forced and child labour, unlawfully low wages and long hours.

"We are greatly worried and concerned about this negative development," United Nordic, an alliance of food companies from northern Europe, said in a letter to the Thai Food Processors Association.

"We do believe that this development can further hurt the Thai food industry," the letter added.

United Nordic CEO Steinar Halvorsen told AFP that the group "will not accept such legal actions against journalists or other individuals that investigate and publish reports about human rights in Thai factories or any other factory worldwide".

"We consider the right way to handle such criticism to be presenting facts and engaging in constructive dialogue with all parties involved," he added.

Hall, who made the allegations in a report last year for Finnish rights watchdog Finnwatch, is due in court in Bangkok on September 2 on a defamation charge linked to an interview he gave to the Al-Jazeera television network about the case.

The activist's passport has been confiscated by Thailand -- which is now under military rule -- pending his trial.

If convicted in the first trial he could face one year in prison. More serious charges under the computer crime act -- which carries up to seven years in jail for each count -- are due to be heard later in September.

Natural Fruit, a major supplier to the European drink market, is also seeking $10 million through a civil suit.

- 'Exploited citizens' -

Hall denounced the charges as "judicial harassment".

In emailed comments to AFP, he said they "reflect the ongoing punitive, risky and restrictive environment in which migrant rights activists have to work in Thailand".

"On the ground, protecting migrant rights remains dangerous and very challenging. Migrants remain too often silent second-class and exploited citizens despite their crucial role for Thailand's food export industry."

A Natural Fruit factory in southern Thailand was investigated for a Finnwatch report called "Cheap Has a High Price" because it produced pineapple concentrate for Finnish supermarkets' private label products, according to the watchdog.

In a statement Finnwatch called on Thailand, the world's largest pineapple producer, to change its approach "instead of issuing threats and exploiting workers".

"Otherwise, there is a danger companies and consumers will no longer want to buy Thai products," said executive director Sonja Vartiala.

Earlier this month nearly 100 international and national labour and human rights groups and NGOs sent a joint letter to members of the Thai Pineapple Industry Association calling on them to urge an end to the lawsuits by its member Natural Fruit.

Migrant workers, particularly from Myanmar and Cambodia, help keep major Thai industries from seafood to construction afloat, but they often lack official work permits and are paid below the minimum wage.

Thailand's junta triggered an exodus of Cambodian workers following a May coup with its threat to arrest and deport illegal labourers, although thousands have since returned.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-08-28

Why all this blablablabla....?

STOP the import WORLDWIDE of "Natural Food" products and they will start to change their approach.

Isn't this kind of abuse the exact kind of thing the NCPO is cracking down on in order to better the image of Thai business practices for the international consumers ?

Change takes time and we know that laws are being rewritten right now.

Edited August 27, 201411 yr by ukrules

They are right, the sue someone as the first reaction is the wrong approach.

If the message is wrong prove it with facts, shooting the messenger only makes it appear that they are in the wrong and have no other defense.

AFP had to get in their usual little inaccurate dig at the end.

Standard thai practice. If a person says something you don't like then charge them. These major European countries should step lightly because your CEO's may face arrest. Thailand will sue your buttocks off and these companies may end up as thai companies.

Ahh,Thailand never changes. Legal action against someone who exposes wrong doing and they call it defamation. Fake laws for a Fake country.

Ahh,Thailand never changes. Legal action against someone who exposes wrong doing and they call it defamation. Fake laws for a Fake country.

Maybe these crazy defamation laws are being rewritten right now as part of the new governments law rewrite.

PTP Election populist policy of a minimum wage hike to buy votes has as I predicted pushed Thailand to the edge of the cheap manufacturing envelope - the minimum wage has in effect helped nobody because it pushed up inflation which negated the effect and actually made the very old poor and unemployed even poorer and decreased the value of the baht, this in effect has pushed companies to employ more migrant workers as they can get away with ................everything

Countries like Cambodia and Burma can now offer cheaper manufacturing facilities - what we will see is no expansion of foreign factories as they explore alternatives and eventually start to pull facilities out of Thailand - stupid is what stupid does

and the defamation laws need to be reviewed as it is just a method to shut people up from exposing abuse without hard evidence

Edited August 28, 201411 yr by smedly

Ahh,Thailand never changes. Legal action against someone who exposes wrong doing and they call it defamation. Fake laws for a Fake country.

Maybe these crazy defamation laws are being rewritten right now as part of the new governments law rewrite.

hope so

Ahh,Thailand never changes. Legal action against someone who exposes wrong doing and they call it defamation. Fake laws for a Fake country.

Maybe these crazy defamation laws are being rewritten right now as part of the new governments law rewrite.

Not a chance.

Coles and Woolworths have already started to ban the importing of food products from CP and other Thai food exports due to the issue of slave and child labour in Thailand, the rest of the world should follow suit.

TAT will love this, could be a highlight of their new campaign, PRESENTING THAINESS TO THE WORLD!

Migrant workers, particularly from Myanmar and Cambodia, help keep major Thai industries from seafood to construction afloat, but they often lack official work permits and are paid below the minimum wage.

Sort of like migrant workers in the US, Eurozone countries, the Middle East ... and Thai workers picking berries in Scandanavia or whatever

Often illegal or with dubious documentation provided by "agencies" who profit from bending laws, exploiting workers and leaving those they traffic in with debt and with little or no income.

United Nordic CEO Steinar Halvorsen told AFP that the group "will not accept such legal actions against journalists or other individuals that investigate and publish reports about human rights in Thai factories or any other factory worldwide"

I hope he and Andy Hall read these. No need to travel that far to find violations of human rights, but as usual, farang prefer pointng fingers at others to create a smokescreen of respectability.

Exploitation of migrant workers in Finland,

Sweden, Estonia and Lithuania: Uncovering

the links between recruitment, irregular

employment practices and labour trafficking

http://www.cbss.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/HEUNI-report-75-15102013.pdf

A decade ago 23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned when they were trapped by sweeping tides while working in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire. Yet, 10 years on, campaigners say workers are still being dangerously exploited in the UK.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25914594

There are some journalist and multimedia organizations, that do not investigate the information. Organizations like BBC and CNN are notorious for only providing their leftest liberal side of the information. During the unrest in Thailand in 2010, theses news organizations only reported there leftest views. There was very little press on the two assassination attempts on the PM, the assault on foreign diplomats at the ASEAN conference in Pattaya. They also have the attitude, that we are European, or American, we know what is best for the world.

Ahh,Thailand never changes. Legal action against someone who exposes wrong doing and they call it defamation. Fake laws for a Fake country.

Maybe these crazy defamation laws are being rewritten right now as part of the new governments law rewrite.

I'm sure we all know why these particular laws are on the Thai statute books and it's clearly nothing to do with justice or free speech - having these laws repealed or even watered down would certainly not be in the interests of those who wield ultimate power in this repressed country and so the likelihood of it happening I would put somewhere between "some chance" and "no chance"....................

........human rights hub......

but as usual, farang prefer pointng fingers at others to create a smokescreen of respectability.

I read something like this before, except one word was changed. Is this another try to explain thainess with: same same but different?

Standard thai practice. If a person says something you don't like then charge them. These major European countries should step lightly because your CEO's may face arrest. Thailand will sue your buttocks off and these companies may end up as thai companies.

They should do just the opposite,giving in just shouldn't be an option,they have power if they stick together.

This is why the Thai elite never wants any real reforms, because the rich can always buy their way out if any problem, like this "Natural Fruit". Whether Natural Fruit is innocent or not when it comes to the allegations, it's legal action should be enough for European importers to stop ANY business dealings with this company.

What Thailand is saying is quite simple, come to Thailand and enjoy yourself sure, but don't meddle in internal affairs. Foreigners are only tolerated up to a point, when they over step their mark, then the authorities will make a very clear statement, as they have in the past with others.

Thailand is still very much a developing country, and most are aware of their teething problems, which will be addressed, but by Thais of course !

They are right, the sue someone as the first reaction is the wrong approach.

If the message is wrong prove it with facts, shooting the messenger only makes it appear that they are in the wrong and have no other defense.

AFP had to get in their usual little inaccurate dig at the end.

There should be an outcry at the use of the Computer Crimes Act. This is an insidious piece of legislation that can be twisted and used in all sorts of ways. For example: Get ripped off by your Thai wife. Spell out the truth of what happened on Facebook and then you can get 5 years in jail if she goes after you.

I think the majority of these defamation cases are for "face" rather than anything else

Why all this blablablabla....?

STOP the import WORLDWIDE of "Natural Food" products and they will start to change their approach.

Try using the right name, "Natural Fruit". Without that, you'll get nowhere.

There are some journalist and multimedia organizations, that do not investigate the information. Organizations like BBC and CNN are notorious for only providing their leftest liberal side of the information. During the unrest in Thailand in 2010, theses news organizations only reported there leftest views. There was very little press on the two assassination attempts on the PM, the assault on foreign diplomats at the ASEAN conference in Pattaya. They also have the attitude, that we are European, or American, we know what is best for the world.

I guess you must be rightest, and certainly rightist.

What Thailand is saying is quite simple, come to Thailand and enjoy yourself sure, but don't meddle in internal affairs. Foreigners are only tolerated up to a point, when they over step their mark, then the authorities will make a very clear statement, as they have in the past with others.

Thailand is still very much a developing country, and most are aware of their teething problems, which will be addressed, but by Thais of course !

Apologist nonsense.

Other countries that purchase Thai products have every right to transparency on how these products are produced.

Well done to Andy Hall in exposing their criminal and unethical business practices.

Edited August 28, 201411 yr by SureNDT

They are right, the sue someone as the first reaction is the wrong approach.

If the message is wrong prove it with facts, shooting the messenger only makes it appear that they are in the wrong and have no other defense.

AFP had to get in their usual little inaccurate dig at the end.

This seems to be the normal Thai reaction when backed into a corner. Remember the Phuket journalists and the Admiral. This is still going on.

Thais hate criticism. I don't think there is a people on the planet less able to handle even constructive criticism as the Thais. They are so self obsessed and lacking in the ability to reason that they lash out, much like a scolded child.

These archaic laws are there to prevent criticism of those with power, status and money and are a very useful tool in keeping the status quo for those that continually abuse those privileges.

Just another cultural flaw in the money-worship cult.

Read his report. It is not pretty stuff. Check out who owns Natural Fruit and it all becomes much clearer. The prosecution of the suit predates NCPO

Ahh,Thailand never changes. Legal action against someone who exposes wrong doing and they call it defamation. Fake laws for a Fake country.

Maybe these crazy defamation laws are being rewritten right now as part of the new governments law rewrite.

Civil law is perfectly adequate for defamation. It should not be a part of criminal law. It still is in many Western jurisdictions but, where is still exists, it has largely fallen into disuse due to the standards of evidence required to prove criminal damage. The UK on the other hand has gone overboard making itself a centre for frivilous civil libel suits even though the alleged libel took place in another country and the plaintiff and defendant are also located elsewhere. Still that type of excess is not nearly as bad as criminal suits. I would like to see Natural Foods suing for libel in the UK.

FYI

http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/about/id/601981/n/Prawn-Slaves