Foreign media ‘slave labour report unfair’

[JAG]

Whenever the junta try to explain themself out of an issue, the perception of hiding the truth gets louder. They tried giving their side of the story for the Rajabhakti Park and doubters increased and their credibility gets another knock. The junta now is at their lowest ebb in terms of effort to rid corruption and growing poor public perception. They really must change their approach and stop protecting the wealthy and uniform perpetrators.

They won't. Their whole "raison d'etre" is to protect the wealthy and uniformed. That is why they were put into power. They really have little more choice in what they do than those poor sods locked in a shed peeling shrimps day and night. Their conditions are just a little bit more comfortable.

[diehard60]

Thailand loves sports. So now the ball is in Thailand's court. Let's see what they do now.

[Rorri]

If it weren't for foreign news outlets, the truth in Thailand would never get out because the Thai media has no serious investigative journalists. I've worked at both the Nation and the Bangkok Post, and I'll tel you the reporters are spoon-fed stories and don't bother to make follow up calls or call people with opposing points of view.

I've been to press conferences where Thai reporters don't dare ask questions.

Thai reporters are lazy and they only cover what they are told to cover. And I had many discussions with the Thai editors of both newspapers about amazing transgressions by government officials and business leaders when I was working at the papers and I asked why they didn't report on them. The answer: It's too sensitive!!!!

So yeah. Poor F***N Thailand's being exposed and the leadership doesn't like it because it makes Thailand look bad. And all these efforts now to "clean up" industry and root out slavery and worker abuses is not being done out of the kindness of the government's hearts. They don't give a rat's A** about these people. They are only doing it so they don't get downgraded on some list or so they don't lose preferred trading status.

To be fair, none of the English newspapers, and that blog site, Phuketwan, make any serious investigative reports, or follow up any stories.

[bazza40]

If it had been reported from the ABC Australia I could understand as they have a tendency to sensationalize just a little, but to get anything news worthy a little sensational is needed, like me now , what remains clear is where there is smoke there is fire and let's be kind, how much sensationalism has been coming out of the Junta's bunker in the past 12 months , a yearly report on their activities would indicate that it was all sensational with a small coating of realism. ..........

With all due respect, I have to disagree with your assessment of the ABC. It's about the only media organisation in Australia that does investigative journalism without fear or favour. Its coverage has made a number of sleazes squirm, in both the private and public sectors.

I doubt you would ever see something like this coming from Murdoch media. He's only interested in the money, and wouldn't want to endanger that by upsetting the powers that be.

[connda]

...and tuk tuk drivers don't assault foreign customers and Chiang Mai karaoke bars dont rip off farang and group beat them when they don't pay the excessive bills. To bad that far too often in The Land Of Smiles, where there is smoke, there is fire.

Edited December 20, 2015 by connda

[kinmaew]

Don't have to look at the fishing industry just look at your local seafood restaurants. See the "Nongs" running around serving - $0 salary just tips. Zero labour protection laws fishing industry is just a microcosm of a much wider abuse.

[never me]

Foreign media ‘slave labour report unfair’

Damn foreigners they are to blame for all of this.

I can see another dummy spit coming this week.

[kinmaew]

I am waiting for the "If you don't like it you can go home"

[never me]

They still haven't locked up the ones responsible for this yet.

http://www.chiangraitimes.com/burmese-child-slave-puts-spotlight-on-abuse-of-foreign-maids-in-thailand.html

So very sad what this little girl had to go through.

[never me]

I am waiting for the "If you don't like it you can go home"

Most likely tomorrow.

[retarius]

Yu know when you seize power from the legitimate government you should act to improve things not whine and ask for sympathy for the hard job you have to do, and expect the rest of the world to ignore your deceit. This is the most unbelievably childish thing I have ever heard from any goverment offical anywhere.

[Artisi]

Thailand loves sports. So now the ball is in Thailand's court. Let's see what they do now.

Ask for time-out.....

[KIWIBATCH]

....it is all just an "extensive misunderstanding"...................

[waldroj]

Hey, junta-head, read my lips!

[retarius]

"But he said the aforementioned wire service's investigative report, which was picked up by local and foreign media outlets last week, could cause many people to believe that there was a major slave labour problem in Thailand and the authorities were not doing anything to stop it."

so what are they going to do?

They can't do nothing. The catch of fish today is less than 10%, of what had been caught back in 1962, due to consequent overfishing. Therefore the fishing business today is only profitable using the work of unpaid slaves.

Ever hear of supply and demand? Put prices for seafood up and make a profit paying decent wages to those unlucky workers on boats. But you seem to be making excuses for boat owners and seafood processors while I am pretty sure that given the choice between paying good wages and having free slave labour, that they will plump for the latter because of increased profit. And if they can't make the business pay by paying people to work for them then they should go out of business.

[JAG]

I think its cultural. In a society where equality is alien, money dictates everything, and the poor are serfs to the rich, then the rich would not understand equal rights, human trafficking and slavery. Thus in the minds of the business owners there is nothing wrong, and its the western ideology at fault? That's why nothing will change and the business owners will try and hide what is going on.

Oh I think they know it's wrong. But they have hidden it behind the whole " Land of Smiles" facade for so long, they don't ( can't ) accept that the truth is out, and like all genies it won't go back in the bottle.

[oldsailor35]

"But he said the aforementioned wire service's investigative report, which was picked up by local and foreign media outlets last week, could cause many people to believe that there was a major slave labour problem in Thailand and the authorities were not doing anything to stop it."

so what are they going to do?

Deny it seems to be the tactic !

[fxe1200]

"But he said the aforementioned wire service's investigative report, which was picked up by local and foreign media outlets last week, could cause many people to believe that there was a major slave labour problem in Thailand and the authorities were not doing anything to stop it."

so what are they going to do?

They can't do nothing. The catch of fish today is less than 10%, of what had been caught back in 1962, due to consequent overfishing. Therefore the fishing business today is only profitable using the work of unpaid slaves.

Ever hear of supply and demand? Put prices for seafood up and make a profit paying decent wages to those unlucky workers on boats. But you seem to be making excuses for boat owners and seafood processors while I am pretty sure that given the choice between paying good wages and having free slave labour, that they will plump for the latter because of increased profit. And if they can't make the business pay by paying people to work for them then they should go out of business.

I do not make any excuses for boat owners, even if it seems to you. There is no excuse for slavery. Supply and demand will be regulated by the price. I can imagine, that the demand with higher prices is lower, thus less export, less demand in Thailand and maybe less overfishing and even less profit for boat owners, who suffered a terrible reduction during the last years due to overfishing. Actually it is a home made problem, which could be solved by Thai fishery department a long time ago. They did made suggestions and wrote down plans, but nothing happened.

[bangrak]

"THE government has slammed an unnamed foreign news agency for what it described as twisting the facts..."

I really want to hear the government's definition of "twisting the facts". Unless it means that any news, foreign government, human rights group, etc. that doesn't "sympathise with it and understand its plight" as defined by Thai authorities, is twisting the facts.

There seems to be some muddying of the concepts "facts" and self serving "propaganda" .

It should be noted that Thailand isn't alone in this type assessment. Just about every government throughout the world wears spectacles that white washes their actions, beliefs and interpretation of facts to suit their own needs and goals. Whenever there is a somewhat "objective" report of the facts, they act like victims that have been grossly offended by "lies" and the sources of the reports "not understanding the real situation".

Denial is, alas, part of that Thainess, recently glorified by...

And, I've seen ALL the Governments (and Officials...), for ages, here profusely, systematically 'twisting the facts' whenever anything is not in-line with their policies, or... contradict what they say, ...or, the more so, shows they did too little, too much(?), nothing, ...wrong!

[bangrak]

I think its cultural. In a society where equality is alien, money dictates everything, and the poor are serfs to the rich, then the rich would not understand equal rights, human trafficking and slavery. Thus in the minds of the business owners there is nothing wrong, and its the western ideology at fault? That's why nothing will change and the business owners will try and hide what is going on.

Oh I think they know it's wrong. But they have hidden it behind the whole " Land of Smiles" facade for so long, they don't ( can't ) accept that the truth is out, and like all genies it won't go back in the bottle.

I'm afraid(!) most Thais actually do really believe the LoS legend is true...

You tell me when you have ever encountered any Thai who could be bothered the least by 'the truth', or just the concept of it, I would even say that 'truth' is in general considered as an adverse thing to stay away from, ...as long as any bit of 'the truth' doesn't turn out to be in their advantage, of course...

[Doc46]

Unfair, my ass .They know it's the truth but being Thais they think that they can do anything and that they are better than the rest of the world When they are Wrong in their eyes they are still right .

[bangrak]

UNFAIR? Then what is fair? If the media did not help to expose this, all the slave workers would be perpetually suffered in silence and the concerned government officials together with their cronies are reaping in big money.

Fair according to them is adhering to the pillar of thai culture i.e making sure nobody looses face.

...nobody loses face or money

[WaiLai]

Vote with your wallets!

It's what we all have in common.

The message will get through if we are socially responsible in the purchase choices we make.

[baboon]

Unfair, my ass .They know it's the truth but being Thais they think that they can do anything and that they are better than the rest of the world When they are Wrong in their eyes they are still right .

How do you know my missus?

[Dumbastheycome]

mind you, not only the fishing industry.

Upcountry & City karaoke brothels serving 99,9% to Thai customers, are full of girls and women from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Has anyone ever dared to ask them if they are in these establishments on their own will ?

The "BIG FOUR G's" is where the money is being made in Thailand, and that's where the brown envelopes learn to fly, not the pigs.

Girls, Ganja, Gambling, Guns

You are there to see it?

[lonewolf99]

Dimwitted 8 year olds being ordered about by petulent, callous 10 year olds in adult bodies.

Nothing will change here, next door in Burma, Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam. As long as the poor remain dirt poor, desperate, downtrodden, uneducated and controlled by martial law. Brainwashed from the womb by mental, madcap religion in any of its ridiculous forms.

I know, lets all get together and light candles and pray for them.....that always works.......................actually, that, might be a better chance than waiting for any Junta to fix these problems in their skanky, rotten to the core, corrupt "emerging" countries.

Instead of signing up for train links, they should be signing up with the brig brother Chinese for training on how to cover stuff like this up.

[casindonet]

Didn't take them long to slam the foreign media.....ohhh why you not understand thai, we different from other country

[gandalf12]

There is always a call to understand their plight. Trouble is when you have the power to change things there is no plight just a "don't care" attitude

[Dumbastheycome]

Vote with your wallets!

It's what we all have in common.

The message will get through if we are socially responsible in the purchase choices we make.

Yes ! Yes! The righteous posters of TV can influence the farkin world by not buying a fish !

[docshock13]

Junta spokesman quoted as saying the AP report was "extremely irresponsible" and an attempt to "tarnish Thailand's image" and "fan negative sentiment against Thai products" in another publication.

First off, that sounds like a threat. Second, its with detestable retorts like this that the gov't seems to be doing a good enough job of tarnishing the nation's image on their own.

I foresee some attempts at heavy-handed curtailment of foreign journos in Thailand in the not too distant future.