British activist goes on trial in Thailand for defamation

[ggt]

"Whistle blowers" are punished to discourage others from following suit...not just in Thailand...try pointing out gov't hypocrisy and corruption in the US...you may very well meet with an untimely accident...hunted down and charged as a criminal...one's property confiscated...and if you are lucky...manage to flee the country...

Those in power...with the money and resources...will stop at nothing to protect their corrupt enterprise...including the corrupt legal and judicial systems...

Yes...for obvious reasons...I prefer to remain anonymous...

Edited September 2, 2014 by ggt

[Rykbanlor]

Remember just a couple of months ago Thailand was the only country to vote against the protocol on slave labour

Really!? I missed that, wow that is quite a bold statement and also outrageous. Do you have a source?

Sure - http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2014/06/13/thailand-sparks-outrage-by-opposing-ilo-vote-to-tackle-forced-labor

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/11/uk-labour-ilo-idUKKBN0EM1XY20140611

nothing bold or outrageous in what I said, simply the truth.

Actually it's not the truth but a half-truth that is not just misleading but deceitful.

They reversed their position the next day.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thailand-reverses-earlier-decision-backs-ILO-proto-30236260.html

Still the fact that they voted that way first and evidently changed their stance because of the backlash is still a little seedy.

However, now their commitment is made, I am sure that they are going to work hard to uphold these standards. Not.

[thairastawoman]

Truly the best course of action in Thailand is to say absolutely nothing on anything more important than what you had for dinner, or what you watched on TV last night. Little wonder Thais lose the plot sometimes and go berserk over very little, must be hard holding your tongue all your life.

It's difficult for foreigners to keep quiet, they have a brain !!!

For some others born brainless it must be a lot easier <3

[max72]

Remember just a couple of months ago Thailand was the only country to vote against the protocol on slave labour

Really!? I missed that, wow that is quite a bold statement and also outrageous. Do you have a source?

Sure - http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2014/06/13/thailand-sparks-outrage-by-opposing-ilo-vote-to-tackle-forced-labor

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/11/uk-labour-ilo-idUKKBN0EM1XY20140611

nothing bold or outrageous in what I said, simply the truth.

It's part of the reforms. The educated high class is always right and if they say children can be exploited, abused, tortured, killed, they are always right.

We farangs don't understand, because we are inferior too.

Things are simple: Bangkok educated high class is always right, the rest of the world is always wrong and so inferior not to even understand how right they are.

[redtony]

Monk213,some of us already have signed a petition,please visit www.SumOfUs.org.

They explain in more detail what is going on.

just signed it.

good site as well.

[TacoGuy]

What I find wrong is not do much his allegations, but the fact that he is a European sticking his nose into sensitive Thai business practices. If a Thai made the same allegations in a report I would have less trouble with it, as an educated Thai has a better understanding of the nuances of the situation, and the right to make that criticism in Thailand.

Imagine, for example, a Korean coming to Britain and condemning our education system for being too lax? Granted they wouldn't see court proceedings, but they would be evaluating a foreign system by their own value judgements.

There is something a bit hypocritical about major Western food groups on one hand demanding wafer thin supplier margins, and on the other expecting Western standard labour and living conditions. This is why the change should be driven by Thai people and not busybody foreigners.

[TacoGuy]

Defamation is a criminal offence in Thailand

everybody knows that companies in thailand practice the OT wich means doing hours extra that a person can not refuse to make.

secound the salary is always far under the rest of the world

third they normally have only a day off many times none.

thourth they usually never get holydays or paid holydays.

fifth even wearing a mask a lot are in contact with quimical staff and one day they will get sick.

to finished we all know that here some labour conditions are one of the worst in the world , they dont need to process a person for saying that.

shame on people who practice those medieval labour conditions, and the society to realize whats happening need people to show and name them through documentary or whatever.

when somebody is wrong the truth is always hard to recognize so here in thailand they invented the naming and shaming.......but he will win and i hope the buyer from abroad will defenitly stop to make business with this company too.

I suppose you have visited many of these companies and spoken with the workers then?

Absolute &lt;deleted&gt;.

[TacoGuy]

Remember the "McDonalds Two," aka "McLibel" which concerned the two penniless activists who McDonalds foolishly decided to drag through the courts over a leaflet. The two defended themselves and the whole debacle cost the company millions in legal costs as well as damaged their market image in the UK.

c.

Yes I remember those two losers make false allegations about McDonalds. They had nothing to lose and some street cred from their loser friends to gain. McDonalds 'suffered" so much

reputation damage...surprised that they're still doing business in the UK.

[jpeg]

Let's hope they throw away the key on this interfering Western do-gooder.

My 'ignore' list is growing daily. And that goes for your 'liker'

[boomerangutang]

Using the example of Thaksin, Thai big shots are quick to slap little people with 'defamation' litigation. It's ironic, in this case, that the corporations are trying to stifle a non-flattering report, yet by slapping a defamation suit they're actually garnering tons of scrutiny - the very thing they didn't want.

[Chopperboy]

More NGO clap trap - all Burmesse/ Cambodians here are being exploited - really?

Well not the ones I know, they're too busy updating their Facebook pages - holidays, days out, restaurants, bars, clubs, playing music, touch phones, new sport motorcycles (thats the latest must have) etc etc...

[fab4]

I'm sure that reform of the Criminal Libel and Computer Crime Laws is top of the list of "things to do" after the important things have been done - there's the jet ski's to sort out, illegal taxi stands, taxing items that have already been banned.......so much to do, so little time

Rather than spending 3 years trying to manipulate a free pardon for a convicted crook and all his outstanding charges as the top top agenda item.

Nice to see the priorities have changed.

3 years eh? That's an awful lot of time for a government to spend "manipulating a free pardon for a convicted crook" as you put it. Baerboxer, do you really believe what you write or is it just grandstanding for the faithful on here?

[Lowryder]

More NGO clap trap - all Burmesse/ Cambodians here are being exploited - really?

I must have missed these pages in the report.

...oh, now i get it. You never read it, or the article you commented.

[Canada]

I'm not so sure I would call Mr. Hall brave. I think he made a huge miscalculation. You need to be really careful what you say in Thailand. Everyone knows that. Leave Thai things to Thais.When they have had enough, they will speak up. If they don't, that's their own business or karma as they say.

I wish him well and hope that he gets out of the country. I fear nothing good will come to him here at this point.

[mrtoad]

It's not his business to be pointing fingers in Thailand. He is holding Thailand to an EU standard which in an idealistic utopian world is fine, but the real world is simplistic. And it's a bit foolhardy during a coup.

Nothing to do with the coup, this has been a fairly long running saga. Clearly there needs to be a proper look at the defamation laws, as they are routinely abused.

[BillyBobThai]

This man has literally put his life on the line for his beliefs.

This man did to, and look where now lives.

We should all have the balls to at least support them.

[PlastikbinLina]

The fact that defamation laws are used to hold this journalist as a hostage in the country, says a lot on the attitude of the company in question.

I hope the European supermarkets are aware of this and take appropriate actions.

It also shows the defamation laws is Thailand are a big concern when it comes to human rights - they are tools used to shut up anyone that dares to complain about human right violations and they are used as a dirty weapon in political games.

Yes I agree. Shades of Singapore yes?

[razer]

Is this another "Hub" situation?

[manarak]

I think that it's not a bad thing that corporations and authorities can defend themselves against allegations.

The important thing is that courts rule equitably in these cases.

Have there been examples where the court decision was unjust?

[FlipSide]

We don't like this trend that the way big corporations with all the money & legal clout continue to shit on the truth sayers (Whistleblowers) think Julian, Edward, & Private Parts. Good luck with the case, we hope you are able to free yourself of the chains of International Corporatism, and that justice & freedom of speech are the order of the day

[Pattszero]

It's a bit ironic to see people slating the life out of Thai law and demanding European companies boycott Thai products.

People that support the Thai economy by living there.

It's a mixed up world that we live in, to be sure.

[Thai at Heart]

It's not his business to be pointing fingers in Thailand. He is holding Thailand to an EU standard which in an idealistic utopian world is fine, but the real world is simplistic. And it's a bit foolhardy during a coup.

Even if we accept your assertion that holding Thailand to an EU standard (re free speech? re child labor? re anything?) is too idealistic/utopian, there is also the question as to whether the food company is scoring an own goal by having him charged with defamation and also suing him.

Remember the "McDonalds Two," aka "McLibel" which concerned the two penniless activists who McDonalds foolishly decided to drag through the courts over a leaflet. The two defended themselves and the whole debacle cost the company millions in legal costs as well as damaged their market image in the UK.

Just because people in Thailand have to accept the inequalities of the socio-legal system where the wealthy get away with crime does not mean that they like it. They also do not like being exploited and are against child exploitation. It is one thing if a child has to work in a low-level family business because of a bad economy - it is entirely another when a large food company allows for gross exploitation of children in its supply chain.

Remember, that much of what these food companies produce is exported to the EU. The EU has rules against ignoring certain practices in the supply chain. Anyway, public opinion will see to it that these food-stuffs will have less success in the EU.

Such companies, if they want to be multi-national and export to the EU and the USA, have to grow up and learn how to play the big-boys' game by the rules. Multinationals with far more complex supply chains than Thai food companies employ auditors who visit factories unannounced to check the conditions of the workers. Where inputs are made in the village, teams are sent out by large companies to ensure that child labor is not being used etc.

The accusation is that the company is not complying to Thai law not European. They are accused of not complying to overtime, minimum wage and work permit rule.

These are the basic minimum and if they can't even comply to that, then they aren't worth dealing with.

[Mzungu]

Support Andy Hall

[Upset]

I think that its the responsibility of every foreigner in thailand to send and disseminate news back home to all your friends and relations to boycott thai pineapple products, and seafood and also to send protests notes to your government and to retailers in your communities that stock these products or sell them. Same goes to the end user restaurants. These arrogant thai industrialists need to be taught lessons.

[mojorison]

Let's hope they throw away the key on this interfering Western do-gooder.

My 'ignore' list is growing daily. And that goes for your 'liker'

I think the satire was lost on you, never mind.

[dwcrist]

Thais get really offensive when you expose their illegal activities and corruption. Rather than improving the situation by changing practices or cracking down on offenders, laws like this are made and used to punish innocent people for exposing criminals. It is not illegal to commit crimes in Thailand, it is illegal to report them. Wonder why this country is corrupt to the bone?

[Colabamumbai]

Truly the best course of action in Thailand is to say absolutely nothing on anything more important than what you had for dinner, or what you watched on TV last night. Little wonder Thais lose the plot sometimes and go berserk over very little, must be hard holding your tongue all your life.

Yes and as a foreigner living in Thailand you learn to say "absolutely nothing". It is not easy not being able to speak your mind or raise your voice.

I can't even leave the house without a shirt on the neighbours in the Soi would not approve, but is ok for them to go shirtless, or with just a towel around them.

[DekDaeng]

Its on the BBC radio news this morning.

Owner claims to have lost too much "face" over the allegation.

In that case a guilty penalty (finding loss of face) should be a profound apology & 5 (Hail Mar) deep Wais.

If guilty party was telling porkies, must pay costs. If GP telling the truth, costs by man with new face.

[chotthee]

I think that its the responsibility of every foreigner in thailand to send and disseminate news back home to all your friends and relations to boycott thai pineapple products, and seafood and also to send protests notes to your government and to retailers in your communities that stock these products or sell them. Same goes to the end user restaurants. These arrogant thai industrialists need to be taught lessons.

I think that its the responsibility of every foreigner in thailand to obey the law of Thailand and disseminate news back home to all your friends and relations to obey Thai pineapple law also to send protests notes to your government and your communities that stay in Thailand. Same goes to the end user of Thai bars (girls). These arrogant Falangs need to be taught lessons.

[DekDaeng]

Defamation is a criminal offence in Thailand

Also, Thailand recognises 'telling the truth which causes loss of face' (presumably the case here) to also be defamation, unlike nearly all other countries.

Fixing this law is the single most important issue for the future of Thailand.

Edited September 3, 2014 by DekDaeng