Nordic News, Business and Life in Asia
Without thousands of Thai berry pickers, there was a fear that the berries would rot in the forest. Now it seems that demand has pushed the prices so high, that …
Finns go picking own berries as the prices go up Read More
Finland has approved visas for just 123 Thai berry pickers this year after rejecting more than 2,000 applications, a decision expected to worsen labour shortages during the country’s wild berry …
Finland grants visas to only 123 Thai berry pickers Read More
Finland has rejected the majority of this year’s seasonal work visa applications for foreign wild-berry pickers after authorities identified risks of labour exploitation and concerns over employers’ ability to meet …
Finland rejects 1,400 berry picker visa applications over exploitation concerns Read More Finland’s forests may soon be overflowing with berries that nobody can pick. Delays in visa processing for thousands of Thai seasonal workers are now threatening this year’s berry harvest in …
Thai workers face visa delays ahead of Finland berry season Read More
Finland has required foreign wild-berry pickers to hold a seasonal work visa since 2025. The rules fall under the Seasonal Workers Act. For the 2026 season, Finland’s Ministry for Foreign …
Finland to tighten visa checks for berry pickers ahead of 2026 season Read More
New developments in the Finnish berry-picker case as Finnish police have completed a preliminary investigation into suspected bribery involving berry picking businesses and Thai authorities. The case is now being …
Finnish berry firms suspected of bribery linked to Thai labour officials Read More
Finnish researcher Minna Seikkula has raised new concerns about the exploitation of Thai berry pickers in Finland after meeting former workers in Chaiyaphum province, Thailand, in June 2025. The workers, …
Finnish researcher highlights labour exploitation of Thai berry pickers Read More
The Embassy of Finland in Bangkok has published an informational video in Thai aimed at individuals interested in traveling to Finland for seasonal work, including wild berry picking. The video …
Finland shares video guide for Thai seasonal berry pickers and workers Read More Finland will from 17 February 2025 start to enforce new rules concerning foreign berry pickers. According to the new rules, foreign berry pickers must be employed under a contractual employment …
Finland stops berry pickers from arriving as tourists Read More
On 29 January 2025, Thai and Finnish officials met to strengthen labor protections and diplomatic cooperation. Mrs. Krongkanit Rakcharoen, Director-General of Thailand’s Department of European Affairs, welcomed Mr. Jussi Tanner, …
Thailand and Finland discuss labor protection and visa exemptions Read More
Thai authorities are suspected of demanding bribes from Finnish berry-picking companies between 2020 and 2023. According to an investigation by Finnish police, Thailand’s Department of Employment (DOE) allegedly charged a …
Finnish authorities suspect Thai officials involved in bribery scandal Read More
A criminal trial concerning aggravated human trafficking in berry picking resumed in Lapland District Court on Tuesday. The case involves leaders of a berry-picking company accused of exploiting workers. One …
Berry picker testifies as human trafficking trial resumes in Lapland Read More The trial of Vernu Vasunta, CEO of the Finnish berry company Kiantama, and his Thai business partner, Kalyakorn “Durian” Phongpit, commenced in Lapland District Court on Tuesday. The pair stands …
Finnish berry execs on trial for human trafficking, court expects 6-month proceedings Read More
More than 1,000 Thai workers are preparing for a berry-picking stint in Sweden and Finland. This marks a notable shift in international labor practices. The Department of Employment (DOE) has …
More than 1000 Thai berry-pickers to Sweden and Finland Read More
As the blueberry season concludes, Vietnamese berry pickers are stepping in to fill the void left by a decrease in Thai workers. Vietnamese workers are expected to harvest around 2,000 …
Vietnamese berry-pickers fill gap left by Thai berry-pickers Read More
The trial of Jukka Kristo, former CEO of Polarica, and Thai business partner Kalyakorn Phongpit has begun in Finland. The prosecutors are seeking a minimum five-year prison term for both. …
Thai berry-pickers finally get justice: Trafficking trial has begun Read More
Around 900 Thai berry pickers got a residence permit to pick wild berries in Finland this summer, according to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). Migri announced, that they had received …
900 berry pickers get Finnish residence permit this summer Read More
The Finnish berry companies are looking to hire approximately 1,000 foreign berry pickers for this season, according to the Finnish news group Uutissuomalainen. This is a reaction to the government …
Finnish berry companies tries to hire pickers Read More
The Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has issued for a study on the different economic impacts there might be to solutions to the seasonal berry pickers, which often …
New Finnish report on solutions for foreign berry-pickers Read More Thai citizens make up a large part of the berry-pickers in Finland and the recent ban on visas for Thai berry-pickers can create a shortage in berry soup and …
Shortage of berry soup and yoghurt in Finland if Thai berry-pickers banned Read More Finland’s ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to suspend visa application for berry pickers from Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. The decision has been made due to allegations about human trafficking …
Finland suspends visa for berry pickers Read More
Prosecutors have filed charges against Finnish Jukka Kristo, the former CEO of Polarcia Marjanhankinta which is one of the largest berry retailers in Finland, on Monday 26 February 2024. According …
Human trafficking charges filed against Finnish berry boss Read More
Former Labour Minister of Thailand, Suchart Chomklin, seeks legal advice amidst the trafficking scandal involving Thai workers sent to Finland for berry picking. Suchart denies bribery and trafficking allegations, with …
Former Thai minister lawyers up in Finnish trafficking scandal Read More
Former ministers and senior executives from the Ministry of Labour in Thailand are facing charges for their alleged involvement in unlawfully deducting fees from Thai workers in Finland. The Department …
Former ministers face bribery charges over unlawful Thai worker fees in Finland Read More
YLE revealed that on 1 June 2023, not a single Thai worker had been confirmed to come to the country for the upcoming picking season, following changes in visa procedures. …
No Thai arrives in Finland for berry picking Read More
The Embassy of Thailand in Helsinki, Finland, recently posted a warning to Thai berry-pickers of the high cost in traveling to Finland to work, saying that “calculate carefully or you …
Warning of high cost to Thai berry-pickers going to Finland Read More Last week an outbreak of covid-19 was discovered amongst 44 berry pickers from Thailand working at a plant in Kainuu region of Finland and this week another 40 Thai berry …
Dozens of covid-19 infections found amongst berry pickers from Thailand working in Lapland Read More