A Finnish court ruling on 5 September 2025 has intensified political debate in Thailand over the treatment of Thai berry pickers working in the Nordic country.
The court sentenced a former senior executive of a Finnish berry company and a Thai broker for their roles in a human trafficking ring involving Thai workers.
In Bangkok, the opposition People’s Party (PP) has urged Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to ensure that no cabinet members with alleged links to the case are appointed. The party referred to allegations raised earlier this year in parliament that senior Thai officials had accepted bribes to facilitate the dispatch of workers to Finland and Sweden under exploitative conditions.
The PP said the Finnish ruling should be treated as additional evidence in Thailand and vowed to push for a full investigation into possible involvement of former ministers and officials.
Thailand’s Department of Employment has rejected claims that ministry representatives were connected to the implicated berry company. According to Director-General Pichet Thongphan, Thai workers travelled to Finland legally under the Employment and Job Seeker Protection Act, which requires safeguards such as insurance, guaranteed minimum income and employer-paid expenses.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the long-standing issue of Thai seasonal workers in the Nordic berry industry and the responsibilities of both sending and receiving countries.
Source: Bangkok Post
