Thai forced labour case pushed to November 28
A forced labour case involving 14 Myanmar workers and a giant poultry exporter in Thailand’s Lopburi province went unresolved in court on October 31. Unsatisfied with the 1.7 million Thai baht in compensation awarded by the Lopburi Labour Protection and Welfare Office against the poultry farm owner, the workers are seeking 44 million baht from the poultry giant Betagro, which sourced some of its chicken from Thammakaset Farm 2, where the 14 were employed. The workers say the farm, Thammakaset 2, forced them to work 22-hour shifts and sleep next to the chickens. U Sein Htay, chair of the Migrant Workers Rights Network, which is assisting in the case, said the court ordered both sides to come to an agreement on compensation during the hearing but an agreement was not reached. The Thai court will reconvene on November 28 to issue compensation decisions, he said.
