Thai court dismisses defamation charges against Myanmar workers in landmark case

MUMBAI: A court in Bangkok yesterday dismissed criminal defamation charges against workers from Myanmar who had accused a chicken farm of abuses, in a landmark ruling seen as a rare victory for migrant workers’ rights in Thailand.

The case was triggered by a complaint that 14 workers filed to Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission ( NHRC) in 2016 about forced overtime, being paid under the minimum wage, confiscation of passports, and limited freedom of movement.

The workers were charged in October in a first- of-its-kind criminal defamation case, which prompted campaigners to urge better protection for migrant labourers who complain about working conditions.

Yesterday, a judge said he believed that the workers filed the NHRC complaint against the Thammakaset chicken farm in ‘good faith’, and without false information.

“This is a very good verdict for all migrant workers in the country,” said Nakhon Chompuchat, a lawyer for the defendants. “It says workers need not be afraid to speak up against violations by their employers. The workers are very happy,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. If convicted, the workers faced up to one year in prison and fines.

Their former employer, Thammakaset farm, which supplied the Thai food conglomerate Betagro, denied the charges from the outset and launched a lawsuit against the workers, saying the complaint has damaged its reputation.

Betagro,whichsellstocompanies around the globe, later said it had cut ties with the farm.

The farm owner has denied any wrongdoing, and said that employees voluntarily worked nights to rack up bonuses and chose to sleep next to the chicken warehouse.

Thailand has been at the centre of a slew of slavery and human trafficking cases, including in its seafood sector, with migrants from Myanmar thought to suffer much of the worst exploitation, according to rights groups.