Thai court rules British activist Andy Hall to face criminal defamation charges

[webfact]

Thai Court Rules British Human Rights Crusader Andy Hall to Face Criminal Defamation Charges

BANGKOK – British human rights activist Andy Hall must face a new criminal defamation trial, a Thai court ruled on Monday (Jan 18), the latest in a slew of cases tied to a rights report documenting labor abuses in Thailand’s lucrative fruit sector.

Mr Andy Hall, who has lived in the kingdom for several years and speaks Thai, had previously been acquitted by a court last year on a defamation charge pursued by Thailand’s Attorney-General.

But Natural Fruit, the company at the heart of the dispute, has filed a string of its own criminal and civil cases against Mr Hall, including a private prosecution on criminal defamation and computer crime charges.

Mr Hall, 34, tweeted the outcome of today’s hearing, saying the court had agreed to a 12-day trial starting on May 19. He faces up to seven years in jail if convicted.

Full story: http://www.chiangraitimes.com/thai-court-rules-british-human-rights-crusader-andy-hall-to-face-criminal-defamation-charges.html


-- Chiang Rai Times 2016-01-19

[baboon]

They are really baying for this guy's blood no matter what. I can only wish him good luck, he is sure going to need it...

Edited January 18, 2016 by baboon

[inaktive]

that is 2 days before the EU commision on slave labor is arriving or ?

Good timing guys ;-)

[onetime]

that is 2 days before the EU commision on slave labor is arriving or ?

Good timing guys ;-)

Let's hope Hall and the commission officerers can sit down for a tea...

[Daryle]

Ban the exports into the EU. Forget right and wrong as 'Money' flow is the only thing Thais listen to and if thats impacted then and only then will they change there shonky business practices.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Somtamnication]

Stupid thing for the govt. to do. 2016 is turning out to be the year of the idiots.

[never me]

Andy Hall has only tried to help other people and look what it got him.

Shame on the Thai's and the Fruit company.

[Squeegee]

The webpage for Natural Fruits, a.k.a. Natfruit appears to be down. Their wiki page needs updating with this latest chapter of their witch hunt. Interesting that's what they are (in)famous for.

Natural Fruit is owned by the family members (brothers and sisters) of the General-Secretary of the Democrat Party of Thailand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Fruit_Company

Human rights issues and Democrat Party members. These are the "good" people, then.

[MaxLee]

First Burmese, now British victims

[JLCrab]

N.B. http://burmacampaign.org.uk/media/Andy-Hall-letter-for-Oct-29-action-2014_FINAL.pdf

[NongKhaiKid]

Face and the ever convenient defamation laws meaning no one is safe from foreigners to fifteen year olds.

This will probably make the international media, again, but since when did LoS worry what people from that ' other place ' think ?

By other place I mean the rest of the so called, non-enlightened world.

[dundas]

Indonesia, not known for its good governance, has just demoted the former Bali police chief for his role in extorting money from some Australian holiday makers. His punishment also included being forced to stand for two hours in the blazing sun, amongst other humiliations.

I don't know if returning his cut of the bribe was part of the humiliations, mind you.

The government apparently took action when what had happened was publicised in Australia in all its unsavoury detail, and the embassy became aware of the backlash in Australian social media.

I guess that might be the difference between how Indonesia deals with miscreants compared to Thailand. If someone does something to make the country lose face, the government will - when it suits - actually take corrective action at the root of the problem.

I'm not sure all that much has changed (all the thug policemen involved have apparently kept their jobs), but it reads well in the Australian press, and gives the impression that this is a government which is outward looking and concerned - and doing something - about corruption.

The Thai response in just about every case seems to be to protect the root cause of the problem, and go after those who make the world aware of it. As a problem solving method it's hardly a recipe for long term success.

Edited January 19, 2016 by dundas

[z42]

Immoral. End of. Andy Hall is a true gentleman & I vrry much suspect this particular justice system will hang him out to dry sooner rather than later.

This despicable company clearly knows that if you throw enough 5hi7, some sticks.

[Ricardo]

Wouldn't it be fun, if Andy were to be offered employment, consulting/advising part-time for the EU on local labour-issues !

Good Luck, Andy!

[onetime]

The webpage for Natural Fruits, a.k.a. Natfruit appears to be down. Their wiki page needs updating with this latest chapter of their witch hunt. Interesting that's what they are (in)famous for.

Natural Fruit is owned by the family members (brothers and sisters) of the General-Secretary of the Democrat Party of Thailand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Fruit_Company

Human rights issues and Democrat Party members. These are the "good" people, then.

....anyone can update a wiki page....

[Squeegee]

Indonesia, not known for its good governance, has just demoted the former Bali police chief for his role in extorting money from some Australian holiday makers. His punishment also included being forced to stand for two hours in the blazing sun, amongst other humiliations.

I don't know if returning his cut of the bribe was part of the humiliations, mind you.

The government apparently took action when what had happened was publicised in Australia in all its unsavoury detail, and the embassy became aware of the backlash in Australian social media.

I guess that might be the difference between how Indonesia deals with miscreants compared to Thailand. If someone does something to make the country lose face, the government will - when it suits - actually take corrective action at the root of the problem.

I'm not sure all that much has changed (all the thug policemen involved have apparently kept their jobs), but it reads well in the Australian press, and gives the impression that this is a government which is outward looking and concerned - and doing something - about corruption.

The Thai response in just about every case seems to be to protect the root cause of the problem, and go after those who make the world aware of it. As a problem solving method it's hardly a recipe for long term success.

Nice balanced post:

"If someone does something to make the country lose face, the government will - when it suits - actually take corrective action at the root of the problem.

I'm not sure all that much has changed [...] but it reads well [...] and gives the impression that this is a government which is outward looking and concerned - and doing something - about corruption."

Thanks for sharing dundas. That really puts these backwards Thai power-mongers into perspective.

[cumgranosalum]

Some tHai authorities seem oblivious to the fact that this kind of trial is likely to do a lot more damage to Thailand's international reputation than anything alleged by Mr Hall.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Thailand and its out of control legal-judicial system can't stop shooting itself in the foot. They just can't seem to comprehend that in the internet era, such efforts to supress negative news of civil and human rights abuses redounds back to Thailand in a negative light.

[arrowsdawdle]

Ban the exports into the EU. Forget right and wrong as 'Money' flow is the only thing Thais listen to and if thats impacted then and only then will they change there shonky business practices.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Anybody have a list of that fruit company brands? Anybody know how to do one of those online petitions?

[Briggsy]

Thailand has a long, long history of suppressing anybody working towards promoting the rule of law or the rights of ordinary people when this work angers the powerful, wealthy and untouchable business-political-state official nexus.

Tying the "do-gooder" up in legal cases (which make life very difficult in terms of work, time organisation, legal costs and sometimes, liberty) is a time-honoured way of achieving this.

The other way involves hitmen.

The victims of this suppression are overwhelmingly Thai citizens.

[JohnnyJazz]

That's could be proved very damaging for Thai exporters. What if Western ONG pick up the case and start a boycott campaign against Thai goods which will cause millions of dollars of loss for companies selling these products. That's the kind of Damocles' sword foreign importers can do without.

[grumbleweed]

Ban the exports into the EU. Forget right and wrong as 'Money' flow is the only thing Thais listen to and if thats impacted then and only then will they change there shonky business practices.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Anybody have a list of that fruit company brands? Anybody know how to do one of those online petitions?

I wonder if Anonymous are watching this.

Anyone have a link to any of the alleged offending articles?

[abitmiffed]

The only way to silence him is to jail him, sry but that's how it is. They don't care what the outside world say or do. Tomorrow is another money making day without interference, think it's goodbye for you Andy.

Best of luck to you.

[Squeegee]

Face and the ever convenient defamation laws meaning no one is safe from foreigners to fifteen year olds.

This will probably make the international media, again, but since when did LoS worry what people from that ' other place ' think ?

By other place I mean the rest of the so called, non-enlightened world.

Whilst I agree entirely with your sentiments, I really wish you wouldn't use sarcasm. In my opinion it cheapens your message. Not you personally, but over all, across these forums the posts saying such things as "...but what would I know, I'm just a lowly falang..." come across as whining and most of the time such ironic or sarcastic comments would fly over the heads of the sort of simpletons the comments are aimed at.

I don't mean to teach you to suck eggs, as we all choose to express ourselves in our own ways, but I am just using that quote as a basis to observe that indirect criticism is water off a duck's back to the thick-skinned purveyors of face within Thailand's borders.

They don't deserve such glowing 'praise', to my mind, to have us foreigners put ourselves down. In my opinion they deserve nothing less than the truth straight between the eyes to leave them and everyone else in no uncertain terms: we are enlightened not they who are backward, uncivilized fools. The state of their economy and tourist industry is their own stupid fault after America handed them a silver spoon on a golden platter and now they must rightfully suffer to regain their place at the table of humanity.

Their Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese and Vietnamese cousins never had it so good as the arrogant, lazy, greedy Thai establishment and those ugly traits have filtered - nay, been handed down - to the populace. Those cousins know how it is to suffer, whilst the Thais had the luck to be in the right place at the right time, so their extent of earning anything they ever had was based on not much more than guile.

Forgive my little rant, but I really do think us foreigners should stop with putting ourselves down with regards to Thailand, no matter how many levels of meaning there are in our words when face and money are all that's understood. They would no doubt smile and agree with you the rest of the world isn't enlightened and for as long as foreigners are parroting mai bpen lai and jai yen yen, or "But what do I know, I'm just a..." Thailand has no reason to change its attitude towards a world they seem to consider is beneath them.

For those of us safe beyond the clutches of these immoral people, there should be no quarter given with regards to Thailand's treatment of Andy or Laura.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Squeegee

[worgeordie]

See no evil,hear no evil,speak no evil,seems to be the way to

survive here,once you rear your head above the parapet,and

try to speak out you could get it shot off (really).

regards Worgeordie

[SOTIRIOS]

...better a flattering lie than an uncomplimentary truth.....

...uncomplimentary...to say the least.....

...anything but the sick ugly truth...at all costs....

[zyphodb]

Poor chap, I admire his principles but after being on the burmese defence team in the Koh Tao trials he is going to be a marked man, I think that now the time has come when he should put his principles aside & run, while he still can, these people make very bad enemies.....

[Squeegee]

I hope someone who has a Facebook account links this story to Anonymous' page. Comes to something when hacktavists are a best bet instead of a government who are supposed to be in the G8.

At least in Andy's case one can understand if the UK government doesn't help him much since he knows the laws in Thailand and their true purpose.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Squeegee

[OMGImInPattaya]

That's could be proved very damaging for Thai exporters. What if Western ONG pick up the case and start a boycott campaign against Thai goods which will cause millions of dollars of loss for companies selling these products. That's the kind of Damocles' sword foreign importers can do without.

Unfortunately, the mindset of many in Thai industry is that their human slavery and trafficked sourced fishing, forestry, and agricultural industry products can just be sold to the Chinese no questions asked.

[Squeegee]

Let them deal solely with the Chinese. The civilized world doesn't need to lose much sleep over it and there will be others to take their place in whatever Thailand thinks it can provide to the world. Their loss, not ours.