'Activist Andy Hall cleared in pineapple defamation case', 11 May 2021

A rights activist hit with almost a decade of lawsuits after raising concerns about labour conditions at a Prachuap Khiri Khan pineapple company received a court decision Tuesday clearing him in the final case against him. Andy Hall faced a series of defamation charges after contributing to a 2012 report on alleged poor working conditions, low wages and child labour at Natural Fruit's factory in Pranburi district of the lower central province... Mr Hall was informed Tuesday of the Supreme Court's verdict in the final case, over separate civil defamation charges relating to a 2013 interview he gave to the news organisation Al Jazeera. The court ruling was made in June 2020 but coronavirus disruptions meant Mr Hall's lawyer only received it on Tuesday. The court found Mr Hall not guilty and overturned a lower court's decision that he should pay 10 million baht compensation to the company... Mr Hall, who left Thailand in 2016 after living there for 12 years, said the decision was a relief... He said he never intended to harm any legitimate business interests through his work. Comment has been sought from Natural Fruit, a major supplier to the European drinks market. The company previously denied the allegations raised in the 2012 report...