On Tuesday morning, a British academic left the Burmese capital Yangon to meet his fate in Thailand, where thousands who are not so much like him cross the same border to find work in the country's food export industries.

Andy Hall has spent close to a decade advocating for the rights of such migrants, and across a range of sectors he has interviewed many who have reported abuses from employers, including stolen documentation.

Now Hall himself is without a passport.

Others in his position may not have returned to Bangkok to face civil and criminal charges that include US$10 million in damages and jail time, but Hall was compelled to continue his fight for human rights and face the Thai justice system.

Andy Hall and his team, with TFFA and TTIA representatives, in front of the Prakanong Court prior to his detention

The lawyer's precarious situation stems from the Finnwatch report 'Cheap has a high price: Responsibility problems relating to international private label products and food production in Thailand', and subsequent defamation and libel charges from fruit processor Natural Fruit Co. Ltd.

A prosecutor is acting on behalf of Thailand's Attorney General, who has accepted the Natural Fruit vs. Andy Hall case on charges of criminal defamation, which could carry a jail sentence.

Hall told www.freshfruitportal.com he was asked by officials at the Prakanong Public Prosecutors Office to plead guilty, but when he did not he was detained and put in a cell.

"I didn't know whether I was going to be bailed out or whether I was going to prison," he said.

"They kept joking with me, whether I wanted to go to prison or not, because in the cell there were a lot of killers, there were also a lot of drug dealers...all these guys were just about to go to the most notorious prison in Thailand."

While members of Thailand's fruit industry have been reticent to offer bail to the activist, representative groups Thai Frozen Foods Association (TFFA) and Thai Tuna Industry Association (TTIA) from the seafood industry - which has received its own fair share of criticism from Hall's audits in the past - provided the bail as a symbol of support for his work as a human rights defender and migration expert.

Hall said the bail paid was THB50,000 (US$1,543) after he spent around two hours in the cell, and he could leave on the condition that he stayed in Thailand. His passport was then confiscated.

His next appointment will be on July 2, involving a negotiation between Hall and Natural Fruit.

"As far as we’re concerned, there’s no need for negotiation. We’re not negotiating and we want the charges dropped. The charges are wrong," he said.

"I have such a strong conviction that what I’m doing is the right thing that I don't feel any fear. I don't feel any anxiety because what I did is right, and when you face the court, prison officers and court officials who are part of the court system that is meant to control dangerous people who are a threat to society, you feel 'why am I here'?

"I did the right thing, but I’m being harassed and my rights are being violated, my freedoms are being limited, my passport's been taken, and you feel like this is a crazy situation to be in. It makes you want to expose that to the international community to see what too many employers are like in Thailand."

In a release, Finnwatch expressed concern about the Public Prosecutor's latest decision.

"Finnwatch is very disappointed about the courts decision to accept the case. Such criminal charges are judicial harassment against a human rights defender," Finnwatch executive director Sonja Vartiala said in the release.

Several NGOs and global union federations have condemned the case against Hall, describing it as harrassment, while five United Nations Special Rapporteurs have sought clarifications amidst concern Hall is being targeted for his work to promote migrant rights.

Now that Hall's passport has been confiscated, there are only three ways he can get his passport back - if the courts approve a departure, the case against him is considered and rejected, or if he is found guilty and has served his sentence.

www.freshfruitportal.com