Burma's new government should push Thailand to end exploitation of foreign workers, says migrant rights activist Andy Hall.

Andy Hall, a British activist who campaigns for the rights of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, faces final hearing in defamation suit on Monday.

The outcome of the upcoming murder trial will be a test for Thailand not only to realise justice for the deceased, says rights activists Andy Hall.

A potentially precedent-setting trial began on Tuesday in Bangkok, as British activist Andy Hall faced the first of four libel charges against him for his research about a Thai company’s alleged abuse of migrant labourers, the majority of whom are Burmese

Following a few months of relative quiet, the defamation case against British researcher Andy Hall is back in motion.

Tens of thousands of workers have fled Thailand, most of them for homes in neighbouring Burma, after new labour regulations adopted by the military government sparked fear and panic among the migrant community.