Thai minister Suchart Chomklin says he will drop a lawsuit against journalist Hathairat Pahonthap, in a case linked to Thai berry pickers working in Finland and Sweden, Thaiger reports.
Suchart Chomklin, who used to be Thailand’s labour minister, had sued Hathairat Pahonthap, editor-in-chief of The Isaan Record. The case was about her reporting on possible bribery connected to sending Thai workers to seasonal jobs in the Nordic countries.
Workers say they were left in debt
The story is based on Thai workers who travelled to Finland and Sweden to pick berries, but later said the job was not what they had been promised.
Several workers said they worked very long days – from early morning until late at night – and earned less than expected. At the same time, they had to pay high fees and living costs.
Some said they took loans to go abroad and ended up returning home in debt.
Finnish authorities investigated the case as human trafficking. In 2025, Vernu Vasantola, CEO of Finnish company Kiantama Oy, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
Investigations in Sweden and Thailand are still ongoing.
Criticised as an attempt to pressure journalists
The reporting by The Isaan Record led to legal action from Suchart Chomklin, who demanded 50 million baht in compensation. He said the reports made people think he was involved, even though his name was not mentioned.
The lawsuit was criticised by some as an attempt to pressure journalists.
Hathairat has called it a so-called SLAPP case – a type of lawsuit used to silence criticism – and has asked for better protection of press freedom, as well as further investigation into the treatment of Thai workers abroad.
Suchart Chomklin has said he will withdraw the lawsuit, but Hathairat Pahonthap says she has not yet received official confirmation.
[…] move comes just weeks after Suchart had said he planned to drop an earlier lawsuit related to the same […]