A few years ago, consumers around the world were horrified to learn that seafood they ate was the product of forced labor in Asia. They responded in the American way, by filing class actions against the retailers they believed had misled them. Now a prominent lawsuit against warehouse club Costco over its shrimp has been dismissed. [More]
thailand
State Department: Thai Fishing Vessels Still Using Forced Labor
By 4.13.16 — Updated: 3.16.17
It’s been almost three years since activists first drew the world’s attention to the conditions on fishing boats out of Thailand, where migrant workers recruited from poorer Asian countries work under terrible conditions. Last year, two huge pieces of investigative journalism told their stories and reminded us that it’s still happening, and consumers sued companies like Nestle and Costco for selling seafood produced under these conditions to unwitting customers. That means that this situation has been fixed, right? Not really, the U.S. Department of State tells us. [More]
Aviation Authority: No, You Can’t Put Your Supernatural Dolls In Airplane Seats
By 1.27.16
Earlier this week, a Thai airline made international news by allowing passengers to pay child ticket rates for trendy “child angel” dolls and telling its staff to treat these supposedly supernatural dolls like real passengers. But the country’s aviation authority is not pleased. [More]
Airline Lets Passengers Buy Child Tickets, Snacks For “Supernatural” Dolls
By 1.25.16
Do you feel compelled to travel with a supposedly supernatural-powered doll that not only gets its own seat, but a meal it can’t possibly eat? Then one airline is ready to cater to your very specific needs. [More]
Dead Mall Overtaken By Fish Will Be Torn Down
By 1.16.15
Here in the United States, we’ve been solving the problem of how to re-develop our dead and dying malls into something beneficial to communities and to businesses. Over in Thailand, though, a former mall took a strange turn before being completely demolished. The building filled with water, forming a pond, and local residents stocked that pond with fish to keep mosquito infestations down. [More]
Thailand’s Government Employs Robotic Taster To Make Sure Food Is At Maximum Deliciousness
By 9.29.14
Spurred on by spread of bad food at restaurants around the globe, government officials in Thailand have embarked on a quest to decide once and for all which restaurants deserve the honor of being called Thai food. The solution? Get a robot to taste it. [More]
Thai Airline Hires Transsexual Flight Crew
By 1.31.11
What do you do when you take a big step toward advancing equal rights? Congratulate yourself of course! The president of new Thai airline PC Air is justifiably proud and called himself a “pioneer” after hiring transsexuals as flight attendants. [More]
Airport Security Discovers Real Tiger Cub Among Toy Tiger Dolls In Suitcase
By 8.27.10
When security workers at a Bangkok airport thought they’d spotted a real cat hidden among the plush toys of a passenger’s suitcase, they were right… in a big way. That feline was more than your garden variety house cat; it was a 2-month-old tiger cub. [More]
