Fighting legal battles, Thai rights activists say they live in growing fear

[WorldNews]

By Alisa Tang BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Leading Thai human rights defenders said there was a growing sense of fear in the country amid judicial and official harassment of activists in an effort to silence criticism. The police, military and companies working in the food and mining sectors have increasingly turned to Thai laws - including criminal defamation and the Computer Crimes Act - to muzzle activists working on land and labor rights and the environment. Activists say such lawsuits - including a suspended jail sentence handed to British labor rights activist Andy Hall for defaming a pineapple wholesaler in a report alleging labor abuses at the firm - have a chilling effect.

Continue reading...