Bangkok court admits Cambodia farmers’ lawsuit against Thai sugar firm
A Bangkok court on Friday agreed to grant class action status to more than 700 Cambodian families suing a Thai sugar firm for evicting them from their homes, a lawsuit that human rights experts see as a test case for transboundary disputes.
The lawsuit against Asia’s largest sugar producer Mitr Phol, for the evictions in 2008-09, is the first class-action lawsuit filed in a Thai court by plaintiffs from another country against a Thai company operating outside Thailand.
A lower court had earlier denied class action status on grounds including the villagers’ lack of Thai language skills.
“Today’s ruling is a watershed moment for human rights and corporate accountability in Southeast Asia,” said Ming Yu Hah, a deputy regional director at advocacy group Amnesty International, which filed a third-party intervention in the case.
Rina Chandran
