Foreign media ‘slave labour report unfair’

[rooster59]

Foreign media ‘slave labour report unfair’

EERAPONG PRASERTPOLKRUNG
THE SUNDAY NATION

BANGKOK: THE government has slammed an unnamed foreign news agency for what it described as twisting the facts and causing damage to Thailand for reporting about the use of slave labour in the Kingdom, especially in the fishing industry.

The government has urged all sides to sympathise with it and understand its plight.

The team assigned by the government to tackle the use of forced labour in the fishing industry will explain the facts in relation to the report at a press conference at Government House tomorrow, Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

The team is overseen by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.

Sansern praised the media for covering the authorities' continued suppression of illegal labour and labour lawbreakers, which he said had resulted in the number of offences against Thais and migrant workers visibly decreasing.

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.

In the report, Myanmar workers held against their will at a shrimp factory talked about working in poor condition for 16 hours for little money.

Sansern said the news agency in question had observed the authority's factory-inspecting team in action in Samut Sakhon on November 9 and then presented a report that could cause an extensive misunderstanding.

He said the report, which led to renewed international calls to ban Thai fishery products especially shrimp products, was one-sided and careless and had left many people with a negative image of Thailand.

"The government would like to call for sympathy and understanding from all sides over this news report," he said.

"The detection of wrongdoings doesn't mean that Thailand supports the use of slave labour. On the contrary, we are proceeding with actions against illegal labour and we will create justice for all migrant labourers coming to work in Thailand."

Sansern said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was treating it as an issue to high importance and had called for the prosecution of wrongdoers - be they business operators, workers or state officials - in a bid to solve the problem.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Foreign-media-slave-labour-report-unfair-30275287.html

-- The Nation 2015-12-20

[clockman]

The truth always hurts!

[worgeordie]

"report unfair", not to the slaves !

regards Worgeordie

[AGareth2]

"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?

[Caveat Emptor]

Unfair, sympathise and understand it's plight ? Another set of boring stock phrases.

What plight is that, knowing the problem but can't or won't take proper action because of who is involved ?

[Plutojames88]

Breath taking audacity.

Not only is it refuting the claim .

Much the same a drunk denies he is intoxicated while authorities then show him the breath test results.

But the sheer hide to then call those results irresponsible and damaging to reputation.

What planet are these people on?

Last I looked they are on Tier 3 the lowest of human rights abuse level.

Envoy's repeatedly point it out.

EU ..UN ..US ...

Banned from setting foot in Australia .

And graveyards and military involvement uncovered.

And here we have the delusional sincere looking General not only deny the reckless behaviour but insist the broken laws are not their doing or rewrite the involvement by now calling such claims irresponsible .?

What's to deny.?

It's their " dead slaves"" ...unearthed

It's been documented.

Involvement checked and confirmed.

What next Farangs make it up.?

Not only are these people human rights abuses they clearly deserve the next step for the utter arrogance.

Sanctions

Edited December 20, 2015 by Plutojames88

[DavisH]

Unnamed foreign news agency? it was AP, everyone knows that Either way, I'd like to see their report detailing their proof of their allegations.

[shirtless]

You need to fix this and stop making excuses Thais have no ethics simple .Your products will soon be banned , all the finger pointing and excuses wont save this criminal industry.

[taony]

Ok, i feel sorry for the Thai government now. Forget those pesky slaves. Complainers.

[bubblegum]

I was waiting for it

[jaywalker]

"The team is overseen by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan."

Well, that's a compelling title that does little to inspire sympathy.

[Bluespunk]

“If you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out... Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

Edited December 20, 2015 by Bluespunk

[docshock13]

Nice to see the outpouring of concern by the govt...for their image! I would say the govt's repsonse is unbelievable, but given their response to every other criticism this reaction is par for the course!

[cumgranosalum]

What is worrying about the claim of "unfair" is that it indicated that the Thai authorities, rather than getting on and doing something about it are going to argue the toss...WHY? What is the point....it's slavery, DEAL WITH IT!. ...or are they waiting for some VIPs to cover their tracks???

the next thing will be someone saying that "foreigners" don't understand how Thailand works......to me it is actually the other way round - increasingly it appears that Thailand doesn't understand how the rest of the world works, a world of which, whether they like it or not, they are part of.

Edited December 20, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[bboy]

Pick up toys, throw out of pram. Cry me a river

[jaltsc]

"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".

Edited December 20, 2015 by jaltsc

[HenryB]

Unnamed foreign news agency? it was AP, everyone knows that Either way, I'd like to see their report detailing their proof of their allegations.

This News Agency should be bared from Thailand and Sue in Thai Courts.

When they are Sued we can find out who is behind these lies

I myself shall not read anything that prints these lies

[Tatsujin]

What a bunch of big crybabies.

The truth is the truth whether you want to hear it or not, and saying something is not true when it so obviously is shows you all up for exactly what you are.

Time to grow up and learn to live in the real world. Please.

[alant]

what, pray tell are the supporters of slave labour doing, the governments that do nothing, the consumers who buy the products. Nothing would help Thailand rid themselves of this more effectively than a helping hand in the form of not using the goods by those that currently do.

[cumgranosalum]

what, pray tell are the supporters of slave labour doing, the governments that do nothing, the consumers who buy the products. Nothing would help Thailand rid themselves of this more effectively than a helping hand in the form of not using the goods by those that currently do.

That is a very uninformed post - it ignores mny issues and the fact that the EU and other governments ARE doing quite a lot.......it's not just an open and shut case.

Edited December 20, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[Somtamnication]

"The government would like to call for sympathy and understanding from all sides over this news report,".

Give me enough Valium and Prozac and I will have sympathy for even Caligula. Just sayin'.

[crazygreg44]

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

[Oziex1]

"The team assigned by the government to tackle the use of forced labour in the fishing industry will explain the facts in relation to the report at a press conference at Government House tomorrow, Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said."

The facts have already been revealed by credible news sources and NGO's.

"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."

I am one of the many who believe there is a major slave labour problem in the country, I would like to know what the authorities are doing about it.

Why bother explaining the facts just use your defamation laws, or don't they work on factual reports by people not in the country!

[Lupatria]

When gods get angry:

[z42]

Unfair, sympathise and understand it's plight ? Another set of boring stock phrases.

What plight is that, knowing the problem but can't or won't take proper action because of who is involved ?

Truer words never spoken. Kudos

[zaphod reborn]

Instead of taking tea money, MOL should be sending inspectors into the shrimp peeling factories in Samut Sakorn and putting the industry under pressure. We all know AP's report was probably accurate and only intensive inspections and prosecutions are going to clean up the industry.

[AGareth2]

so when is the defamation case?

[jalansanitwong]

They have to stop accusing the western media of damaging Thailands good name and reputation.....what reputation would that be? Everyone has known for decades that the biggest business in Thailand since the Vietnam war is drugs, prostitution and human trafficking.

Its one of the main reasons people come here.

Nothing will ever change in LOS.

I don't think the USA & Europe will shut their doors to Thailand because that would open another door to a Beijing backed communist style military junta damaging the whole of Asia.

Thailand will keep doing what it does best and the west will keep huffing and puffing and doing sweet FA!

Edited December 20, 2015 by jalansanitwong

[WhizBang]

Well, of course, the foreign media slave labor report is unfair.

How dare they expose us for what we are. If you are not Thai you cannot understand us. You make us look bad to the rest of the world, we will lose face and we do not like that. We had been working soooo very hard to cover all this up and look what you have done. You have exposed us as the liars and charlatans we are.

Very unfair. Boo hoo, poor us.

[oneday]

Denial...that's their defense...how utterly pathetic, but very typical.