"Facebook post inspires landmark case for migrant workers in Thailand"

Tun Tun Win and his co-workers from Myanmar thought life was fine at the Thammakaset chicken farm in central Thailand, where they reared hundreds of thousands of birds for export to the European Union...

It was a smartphone and a Facebook post that opened Tun Tun Win's eyes to the severity of his work conditions - and led to a landmark lawsuit pitting migrant workers against a corporation at the top of the food chain…

The Facebook post by the local non-profit Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) inspired Tun Tun Win and 13 co-workers to take action.

In a lawsuit filed at a labour court earlier this month following unsuccessful negotiations with the company and local authorities, they are demanding $1.3 million in compensation and civil damages.

The suit alleges forced overtime, unlawful salary deductions, passport confiscation and limited freedom of movement.

Crucially, the action is against both Thammakaset and the buyer of the farm's poultry - agricultural giant Betagro, which exports food worldwide….

Andy Hall, a prominent British human rights activist in Thailand who has consulted on several cases involving migrants, said the litigation was an important test case.

"We're trying to hold Betagro responsible for the system of contract farming," he said. "If we can, it will have huge implications for contract farming and the responsibility of corporate supply chains across Thailand."…