The evidence examination hearing for a class action lawsuit filed by Cambodian farmers against the sugar company Mitr Phol for the damages caused by its sugar plantation project has been postponed to March 2024 to allow both parties to collect and translate documents to be used in the trial.

Yesterday (6 November), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Amnesty International (AI) jointly submitted an amicus curiae legal brief to the Bangkok South Civil Court calling on the court to apply international human rights standards in a class action lawsuit filed by Cambodian farmers against the Thai sugar company Mitr Phol for alleged human rights abuses by its apparent subsidiary in Cambodia.

In 2008, the Cambodian government granted Economic Land Concessions to three subsidiaries of the Thai company Mitr Phol, one of the largest sugar producers in the world. To make way for a sugarcane plantation, Cambodian farmers were forced off their land, police set fire to homes, and some residents were imprisoned. Now, over 700 families are seeking justice by filing against Mitr Phol what is said to be the first transboundary class action human rights lawsuit in Thailand.

<p>On 31 July, Cambodian plaintiffs representing more than 700 farming families won a landmark appeal allowing them to move forward with their class action against Asia&rsquo;s largest sugar producer, Mitr Phol.</p>