News Forum - Tesco slavery case – Thai police raid ‘sweatshop’

[Thaiger]

Thai police have raided the former Tesco supplier at centre of a slavery claims by Burmese workers. The VK Garment (VKG) factory in Mae Sot is subject of a UK lawsuit against the supermarket chain from 130 ex-workers who claim they were trafficked, raped and abused. Thai police and labour officials inspected conditions and interviewed employees at the factory over alleged sweatshop conditions. The Guardian revealed earlier this week that Burmese workers who produced F&F jeans for Tesco Lotus, as it was at the time, were forced to work 99-hour weeks for illegally low pay in appalling conditions. Tesco sold […]

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[Grumpish]

"You are sure that all the horses are gone?"

"OK, lets go and make a show of bolting the stable doors" 

[Soidog]

Shameful charade. It’s not this factory that needs raiding. The world already knows of the conditions that existed in this Thai government facilitated factory. It’s the other few thousand around the country they should be inspecting. What a place when you stop and think about it. Utterly shameful. 

[palooka]

Sadly, Thailand only reacts positively in these sorts of cases when it is taken out of their control, and they are publicly shamed in the international media.

Then they front a nobody who is publicly denigrated, and they hope it all goes away.

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, palooka said:

Sadly, Thailand only reacts positively in these sorts of cases when it is taken out of their control, and they are publicly shamed in the international media.

Then they front a nobody who is publicly denigrated, and they hope it all goes away.

The reason they get away with this behaviour is that in the great scheme of things, no one really cares that much about Thailand. Its international influence and overall importance is very small. It’s the poor sods who get caught up in their antics I feel sorry for and the hard working Thais whose life’s are going nowhere. It’s been going on for centuries and I suspect it will go on for a similar amount of time to come. 
 

Thailand is a beautiful country and a decent enough place to retire to. But only if you have the backing of 30+ years of earning western salaries and the safety net of a western pension package. 
 

 

[JamesR]

13 minutes ago, Soidog said:

The reason they get away with this behaviour is that in the great scheme of things, no one really cares that much about Thailand. Its international influence and overall importance is very small. It’s the poor sods who get caught up in their antics I feel sorry for and the hard working Thais whose life’s are going nowhere. It’s been going on for centuries and I suspect it will go on for a similar amount of time to come. 
 

Thailand is a beautiful country and a decent enough place to retire to. But only if you have the backing of 30+ years of earning western salaries and the safety net of a western pension package. 
 

I was driving today and saw the usual pickup truck stuffed full of workers, later on I saw two bus sized vehicles stuffed with workers, some sitting on the sides but all crammed in together, probably about 50 per vehicle, I pointed both out to the Thai friend in my car and she said, "Oh yes Burmese workers".

As far as I can see the Thais do not care what happens to them, it is the Burmeses doing most of the hard work here which the Thais do not want to do.

Yes, Thailand is great if you are a Thai and have money or a farang who has already made money in their homeland, have a car and a house to live in, then it is pure luxury. 

I have been here a month and will extend the 90 day O visa by one year in Feb 2023, it is nice and easy here as long as my money and assets are in the UK.

But I keep 3k pounds in cash in reserve as my get me out of here quick 'card' just in case. 

[Soidog]

27 minutes ago, JamesR said:

I was driving today and saw the usual pickup truck stuffed full of workers, later on I saw two bus sized vehicles stuffed with workers, some sitting on the sides but all crammed in together, probably about 50 per vehicle, I pointed both out to the Thai friend in my car and she said, "Oh yes Burmese workers".

As far as I can see the Thais do not care what happens to them, it is the Burmeses doing most of the hard work here which the Thais do not want to do.

Yes, Thailand is great if you are a Thai and have money or a farang who has already made money in their homeland, have a car and a house to live in, then it is pure luxury. 

I have been here a month and will extend the 90 day O visa by one year in Feb 2023, it is nice and easy here as long as my money and assets are in the UK.

But I keep 3k pounds in cash in reserve as my get me out of here quick 'card' just in case. 

I don’t think Thais really care much for anyone who isn’t Thai. They have some very racist attitudes to most outsiders and especially derogatory about their neighbours. 
 

A wise attitude towards retirement life in Thailand. Never financially over commit and always have a plan B 

[Marc26]

28 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I don’t think Thais really care much for anyone who isn’t Thai. They have some very racist attitudes to most outsiders and especially derogatory about their neighbours. 
 

A wise attitude towards retirement life in Thailand. Never financially over commit and always have a plan B 

I don't think Thais care about other Thais they deem lower than them

 

There is a horrendous caste system in Thailand 

[JamesR]

On 12/24/2022 at 9:11 PM, Soidog said:

I don’t think Thais really care much for anyone who isn’t Thai. They have some very racist attitudes to most outsiders and especially derogatory about their neighbours. 
 

A wise attitude towards retirement life in Thailand. Never financially over commit and always have a plan B 

 

At least they are not spending 2.3 billion pounds a year for hotel accommodation for people taking the pi$$ out of them by saying the word "asylum", even though they have passed through a dozen safe countries and have also come from a war free country in Eastern Europe while our OAP's freeze to death. 

Re retirement in Thailand, I have always remembered the character Mr Micawber from David Copperfield who said,

 ‘Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen(pounds) nineteen(shillings) and six(pence), result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.‘