Equal Times

24 March 2023

Considered neither refugees nor economic migrants, Burmese workers in Thailand eke out a living in the shadows

After 2011, Myanmar engaged in a semi-controlled path to democracy and many Burmese migrant workers returned home to set up businesses, thanks to the skills and capital they acquired while working abroad. But the recent coup has disrupted this [...]Read the full article

Why informal workers are opposing waste-to-energy technology in South-East Asia

24 October 2022

Development

Why informal workers are opposing waste-to-energy technology in South-East Asia

While some governments, development funders and business groups in South and South-East Asia are pushing for the increased use of incinerators to manage waste, informal workers are making their objections known – not only for environmental reasons but also because of the negative impact on waste [...]Read the full article

One photo at a time, Thai fisherfolk try to hold those responsible for oil spills accountable

14 October 2022

Environment

One photo at a time, Thai fisherfolk try to hold those responsible for oil spills accountable

Fisherfolk in eastern Thailand have taken up the role of citizen scientists to document the long-lasting impacts of what is believed to be the biggest oil spill in the history of the country, and to obtain compensation from those [...]Read the full article

On the banks of Thailand's Mun River, villages are struggling to survive in the shadow of the dams

29 January 2021

Development

On the banks of Thailand’s Mun River, villages are struggling to survive in the shadow of the dams

The construction of the Rasi Salai dam across the Mun River in the mid-1990s caused the flooding of 16,000 hectares of land and brought an abrupt end to a three-century-old way of life. Today, thousands of families are still fighting for compensation for the loss of their land, ecological [...]Read the full article

The coronavirus pandemic has put Asia's Indigenous communities under serious pressure

9 October 2020

Development

The coronavirus pandemic has put Asia’s Indigenous communities under serious pressure

Beyond its health repercussions, the coronavirus pandemic is making it even harder for Indigenous people in many parts of Asia to defend their civil and land rights, with governments and companies taking advantage of the pandemic to brush them [...]Read the full article

Saving workers from the hell of the fishing industry in Asia

1 July 2020

Labour

Saving workers from the hell of the fishing industry in Asia

The fishing industry is one of the world’s most violent. With demand exploding and owners looking to cut costs, cases of forced labour on fishing vessels are multiplying.Read the full article

24 April 2019

Environment

Insect farming is not only good for the environment but is also improving the lives of many farmers in Thailand

While eating insects is nothing new in Thailand, breeding them is a relatively recent phenomenon that dates back to 1997. Insect farming carries both the benefits of limited environmental impact and employment opportunities for women in rural areas, as well as the looming risk of increased [...]Read the full article

29 March 2019

Culture

Fight school: the children of Muay Thai

Thirteen-year-old Anucha Tasako died last November in a boxing ring in a suburb of Bangkok. Like many Thai children, Tasako was a Muay Thai boxer, the favourite sport in a country where the debate on the protection of minors has only just [...]Read the full article

South-east Asia rethinks its sexist textbooks

4 March 2019

Culture

South-east Asia rethinks its sexist textbooks

Activists from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, amongst others, are calling for an end to educating schoolchildren with texts that portray women as subordinate and LGBTI people as abnormal.Read the full article

The rise of disinformation and censorship in south-east Asia

1 February 2019

Human rights

The rise of disinformation and censorship in south-east Asia

Rather than addressing this threat, governments across the region are either complacent, or using the state apparatus to further control information.Read the full article

Is a sustainable tuna industry possible?

27 April 2017

Environment

Is a sustainable tuna industry possible?

After decades of trying to put an end to overfishing, several species of tuna are still at risk of extinction. The industry is now trying to improve traceability and is using certification, but there are still many shadows on the [...]Read the full article

Thailand makes progress in the fight against AIDS, but the stigma remains

21 October 2016

Development

Thailand makes progress in the fight against AIDS, but the stigma remains

In Thailand, people with HIV/AIDS are disowned by their families and abandoned to their fate. The Phra Baht Nam Phu temple is their last refugeRead the full article

Can Thailand end the abuse of migrant poultry farm workers?

6 September 2016

Labour

Can Thailand end the abuse of migrant poultry farm workers?

“The [mis]treatment of migrant workers is systematic and common in many Thai industries”Read the full article

Separate prisons for LGBTI inmates in Thailand

29 July 2016

Human rights

Separate prisons for LGBTI inmates in Thailand

The Thai Department of Correction, at the request of human rights organisations, is to separate LGBTI prisoners to prevent abuseRead the full article

Is Thailand doing enough to stop slavery in its fishing industry?

22 December 2015

Labour

Is Thailand doing enough to stop slavery in its fishing industry?

Slavery, abuse and even murder is rife in the Thai fishing industryRead the full article

16 October 2015

Labour

Stop the repression of Thailand’s workers and let them organise

Jyrki Raina: Trade union repression, enshrined in the law and carried out by employers, has led Thailand to have the lowest unionisation rate in Southeast Asia, at 1.5 per centRead the full article

Thailand: nimble fingers, precarious lives

9 June 2015

Labour

Thailand: nimble fingers, precarious lives

For women, particularly those from once self-sufficient mountain peoples, the commercialisation of traditional crafts is amongst the most accessible options for work. Still, precarious, per-piece income from embroidery and other crafts barely keeps up with growing monetisation of the villagers’ [...]Read the full article

Thai journalists under increasing pressure

17 April 2015

Human rights

Thai journalists under increasing pressure

Lifting martial law does not remove obstacles to Thailand’s press, but journalists intend to keep on reporting neverthelessRead the full article

11 August 2014

Labour

“Vulnerable workers need people like Andy Hall to stand up to exploitation and abuse”

Owen Tudor: The TUC and ITUC joined nearly 100 human rights NGOs and trade union organisations in 20 countries to insist that the Thai Natural Fruit Company drop its case against Andy HallRead the full article

Thailand

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