Uutiset, 30.10.2014

Finland supports human rights defenders

Human rights defenders sometimes face trouble themselves. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will publish guidelines for monitoring and supporting the work of human rights defenders in November.

Human rights are an important part of the foreign policy of Finland, and the thread of the Development Policy Programme. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs supports the activities of civil society on behalf of human rights for instance by funding the activities of non-governmental organizations – such as Finnwatch.

Myanmar and Thai workers sort fish in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. Photo: ILO/Thierry Falise, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
The ILO has been working for a long time in Thailand to promote decent work. Myanmar and Thai workers sort fish in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. Photo: ILO/Thierry Falise, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

A pineapple factory against
a human rights defender

Today, 29 October, a Thai court handed down its first decision concerning Finnwatch researcher Andy Hall of the UK in the so-called Natural Fruit case. The Embassy of Finland, together with the EU countries as well as the UN and other organizations, followed this case from the beginning and was on site when the judgment was delivered.

The charges were dismissed in the first hearing owing to irregularities identified in the legal process.  

“We welcome the court decision. The right to a fair trial is an essential human right,” says Kirsti Westphalen, Finland’s Ambassador to Bangkok.

Andy Hall of the UK interviewed workers at the factory of the Natural Fruit Company in Thailand as part of a broader Finnwatch study in 2012. The study revealed serious human rights violations at the factory, which produces pineapple juice concentrate that is also exported to Finland.

The results were published in the report Halvalla on hintansa (Executive summary: Cheap has a high price) in January 2013. Natural Fruit responded by raising four different charges against Hall, accusing him of damaging the company’s reputation, defamation and disseminating incorrect information.

The decision handed down today pertained to the Al Jazeera interview where Hall tells about working conditions at the Natural Fruit factory and the company’s lawsuits against him. 

The right to
decent work

The International Labour Organization ILO has long worked in Thailand to promote decent work. Thailand has millions of migrant workers, most of whom come from neighbouring countries. ILO’s observations for instance in the Thai fish and canning industry are consistent with the Finnwatch report. Serious shortcomings have been noted concerning respect for the labour rights and human rights of migrant workers.

It is important that Finnish enterprises ensure that the manufacturing processes for their products comply with international agreements and the terms for decent work regardless of the origin of products and the complex subcontracting and purchasing chains.

“We encourage Thailand to pay attention to the implementation of labour rights and fair working conditions for migrant workers as well as the rectification of human rights violations following the coup,” Westphalen states.

Thailand was a candidate for the UN Human Rights Council in the vote held on 23 October, but was not elected.  

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