Kowit Phothisan, The Isaan Record’s editor, has been sued for defamation by Deputy Prime Minister Suchart Chomklin over a Facebook post he shared. The post was originally written by The Isaan Record’s editor-in-chief Hathairat Phaholtap, whom Suchart previously sued over a report alleging that Thai politicians have been taking bribes from a former executive of a Finnish berry-picking company.

The District Court of Lapland has sentenced the CEO of a Finnish berry company to prison over 62 human trafficking cases involving Thai berry pickers. The workers have long sought justice and advocated for fair treatment and accountability from both berry companies and the Thai authorities.

Deputy Commerce Minister Suchart Chomklin has come under fire during the censure debate due to concerns over his qualifications and alleged links to a human trafficking case involving Thai berry pickers in Finland and Sweden during his tenure as Labour Minister.

Thailand’s Labour Protection Act currently allows 98 days maternity leave, with several groups pushing for an expansion to 180 days to align with global standards and to support working-class parents.

Thai berry pickers in Sweden and Finland have gathered in front of embassies, international organisations, and Thai government agencies to submit a petition, calling on relevant authorities to address human trafficking cases.

The Department of Special Investigation has reached an agreement to prosecute former ministers and senior executives of the Ministry of Labour for accepting bribes after they were found to be involved in sending Thai workers to be victims of human trafficking in Finland.

For 18 years, around 100,000 Thai farmers have travelled across continents to work as berry pickers in Finland and Sweden, believing it offered an opportunity to earn more money than they could through traditional farming in Thailand. Instead, they were subjected to unfair treatment and many came home empty-handed or bound with debt to the berry companies. To this day, their journey to seek justice is still ongoing, as they continue to advocate for fair treatment and accountability from the berry companies and relevant parties that exploited them.

<div> <div>A Finnish court has held the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by 50 Thai labourers against a Finnish company for inadequate working conditions. </div></div>

<div>Finnish organizations promoting freedom of expression are disappointed in Thailand’s government’s decision to ban journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk from travelling to Finland. Rojanaphruk was invited to participate in UNESCOs Press Freedom Day conference in Helsinki during May 2–4 2016. Finnish PEN, Reporters Without Borders in Finland, Finnish Foundation for Media and Development Vikes and Union of Journalists in Finland are demanding Pravit Rojanaphruk to be allowed to participate in the conference. </div>