| Authors urge Tesco libel restraint |
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| Tuesday, 29 April 2008 | |
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A group of British writers has attacked Tesco’s Thai court case against a newspaper columnist.
The authors, who include Nick Hornby and Mark Haddon, used a letter in The Times to ask the supermarket giant to exercise constraint over its libel actions. Tesco’s subsidiary in Thailand, Tesco Lotus, brought claims against three critics of Tesco Lotus’ rapid expansion in the country. One of these critics, Jit Siratranont, faces two years in jail accused of criminal defamation, and a civil damages claim of 1.1 billion baht (£16.6 million) after he wrote in his newspaper column "Tesco does not love Thailand". “While we accept the need for Tesco and other corporations to protect their reputation, we are concerned by this disproportionate response,” the authors said. They argued that the offence of criminal defamation is considered by most international watchdogs to be incompatible with the fundamental right to freedom of expression. “Its deployment now by a subsidiary of a UK-based company, which prides itself on “upholding basic human rights” and which “supports in full the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, sends an unsettling message around the world,” they added. The writers said they greatly valued the tradition of free speech in Britain, and would like to think that a leading international business such as Tesco would be concerned with exporting these values along with its groceries. “We urge Tesco to impress its critics with the force of argument, not the threat of imprisonment,” the letter concluded. Tesco is also suing The Guardian newspaper in the UK over stories saying the supermarket group was avoiding £1bn tax by using offshore vehicles. It has been revealed, however, that the Guardian Media group uses similar offshore structures for its own acquisitions. Director of Finance Online’s blogger Richard Northedge said, "It looks set to be messy. Tesco may well be in the right. It may win its case or – more sensibly – settle out of court. It may donate its winnings to charity. But it is in danger of losing a lot of gooodwill, especially from the sector of the public The Guardian represents. Being right, and having the right to sue, may not add up to making it a winner." Related articles Related links |
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