Logout
Welcome
Edit News Article
Title
*
Select Subject
Working Conditions
Wages
Construction workers
Bonded labourers
Welfare schemes
Social security
Unorganised sector workers
Minority communities
Id cards for migrant workers
Trafficking
Slum dwellers
Seasonal workers
Contract system of labour
Employment
Child labour
Children of migrant workers
Trade union
Migrants Crisis
Demonetisation
None
Description
British labour rights activist Andy Hall on Monday left Thailand after facing harassment from companies he had denounced for abuses against migrant workers, prompting a series of lawsuits accusing him of defamation. Hall announced his departure this morning on his Facebook account shortly before boarding a flight for Paris, attributing his departure to "insurmountable challenges with some companies and establishments" and "the increasingly negative developments". "The situation in defending migrant worker rights for me and others who act as human rights defenders in similar situations has rapidly deteriorated in Thailand with significantly increased risks and aggressiveness evident," said Hall, though he indicated he would be willing to return to Thailand without specifying a return date. In September, Hall received a suspended sentence of three years in prison and a more than $4000-fine over complaints filed by the multinational Natural Fruit Company. The lawsuit was filed after Finnish human rights organization FinnWatch released a report detailing the conditions of workers in a pineapple factory that exports the canned fruit globally, including to European Union countries. Based on data gathered by Hall, the document accused the company of employing hundreds of Burmese immigrants, some of whom were minors, confiscating their passports and paying them below the minimum wage. Hall's departure from Thailand comes just days after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Natural Fruit Company in another lawsuit against remarks made by Hall in 2013 during an interview with Al Jazeera on the situation of migrant workers in Thailand. After winning the case, Hall announced he would file a lawsuit against the multinational company, the police and the attorney general for "unlawful prosecution and perjury". "My goal has always been to improve living and working conditions of millions of exploited migrant workers in Thailand and ensure these workers access fully labor rights and other rights they are entitled under Thai law," Hall said.
Keywords
labour rights, Thailand, migrant workers, defamation, migrant worker, human rights
Upload Image
(only .gif or .jpeg files or .x-png files. Max upload size is 20MB)
Source
Display in both Policy and News
No
Yes
Enter Video url/Embed Code :
Url
Embedded Code
External Link URL
Status
Active
Inactive
Show On Home Page
Yes
No