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.

For young Thais seeking to move overseas, au pair programs open doors to the world. But the same flexibility that makes them accessible also leaves room for abuse.

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.

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.

<p>Jon Åström Gröndahl, the Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, has announced that the Embassy will halt assistance to Thais to go picking berries in Sweden after hearing claims of shadow contracts and fake documents.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Unlike Thailand, Sweden was successfully elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council recently. Sweden was by far the favourite amongst the European candidates. It had already received enough votes to secure its position on the Security Council in the first round.</p>