Kamol Kamoltrakul, a business writer from Thailand, Photograph courtesy: Martin Argles

Here in Thailand, Tesco Lotus a chain supermarket store has been putting small businesses and mum and dad stores offside with their rapid expansion. There have been protests across the country in different cities where planned Tesco Lotus supermarkets are to be built.

Many of the protesters are worried about losing their lively hoods, losing the only income they have know to collect for many years. If the chain superstores are built in their area, they believe and more than likely it would happen is that, people will go to the superstores and stop using their little shops. This would obviously lead to them closing down.

There have been many voices for the retailer but also people against. Then three powerful men decided to have their say; they expressed their opinion and it was soon realized that Tesco didn’t like what had been said or written. They launched defamation lawsuits on two of the men for 100 million Baht or 1.6 million pound each and the other man for 1 billion Baht. One man was a former Thai MP, another an editor for a Thai paper and the last man a business writer for a newspaper. The former MP is now the vice general secretary of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, they said they would fight the retailer’s enormous damages claims. They could also face two years in jail.

Free speech campaigners are outraged by the “heavy-handed” tactics, which they believe are designed to intimidate and silence critics alarmed over the company’s growth in Thailand.

A spokesman for the South-east Asian Press Alliance (Seapa) said “Defamation suits of this nature and of such absurd proportions are clearly meant to harass legitimate criticism, intimidate independent media, and stifle discussions and debate over legitimate public concerns.”

The Thais have hit back at the retailer now, they have asked the retail giant to drop its law suit against the three men, and the chambers of commerce in the Northeast of Thailand said in a statement that; they disagreed with the legal action. They will hand a letter opposing the court action to the British embassy and the United Nations office in Thailand. They have also announced they will stop engaging in any activities with the company unless it withdraws the lawsuits.

The men have found some good allies in the National Union of Journalists’ campaign who are supporting them and also calling on Tesco to drop the lawsuits.

Sadly, I believe they are fighting a losing battle, not in having the lawsuits dropped but stopping the expansion of Tesco Lotus superstores.

I personally hardly ever go to little mum and dad shops, I always use the large retail stores as they are convenient, they have a broader range of goods and they are cheaper. I feel sorry for these small business people who know their small business as their only source of income, I really do.

As the world changes people have to try and keep up with technology and the ever changing business trends, if people don’t adapt they will be eaten up and spat out before they know it. It is cruel to see two or three generation shop owners closing their doors on family businesses. In the world of business nothing is for certain.

What do you think about big businesses forcing small retailers out of business across the world? I would like your feedback.