International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), on 15 January 2012 has written a letter to the Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Sinawatra regarding forced relocation of indigenous Karen peoples from Kaeng Krachan National Park leading to violation of their human rights. The letter states the harrassment of Karen villagers had been going for some time that came to a severe situation in May, June and July 2011, when many houses of the villagers and their rice stores were burned and money, jewelery, fishing and agricultural tools were stolen by a group composed of National Park wardens and military forces.
As a result, some of the people had to move away and are now staying with relatives in other villages and a number of them (allegedly approximately 70 people) are hiding in the forest in a state of fear of meeting government officers: they are without sufficient food and shelter. The letter, endorsed by the AIPP with 47 other organizations, indicates violations of Thai constitution and other laws and international human rights obligations of Thailand, including the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, that the alleged forceful action entails and urges the Thai Prime Minister, as head of the government, to take immediate action to:
1. Urgently cease all threats, harassment, arrests and all other forms of human rights violations against the villagers in the National Park;
2. Effectively investigate the actions of the staff and authorities of Kaeng Krachan National Park and all others involved in the alleged acts of violence so that the perpetrators are prosecuted in justice;
3. Provide urgent and adequate services for the well-being of the villagers who have suffered distress and trauma, such as mental health support and other necessary health services;
4. Adequately compensate the villagers for the damages and losses they have incurred due to the actions of the National Park authorities and the military. This includes financial compensation and rectification of citizenship status, housing and allocation of land for traditional agriculture;
5. Abide by, and implement, the Cabinet resolution made on August 3rd, 2010 on policies regarding the restoration of the traditional practices and livelihoods of Karen people;
6. Take all necessary measures to effectively implement the provisions of the CBD, in particular Articles 10(c) and 8(j) as well as its Decisions on Protected Areas and the Programme of Work on Protected Areas, especially element II on governance, participation, equity and benefit-sharing;
7. Take all necessary measures to effectively implement Thailand’s obligations under international human rights law in relation to the rights of indigenous peoples, which are notably guaranteed under: the International Covenant on Civil and political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Click here to read the full letter.
NB: IIFB informs that many of the emails to send the letter got returned; however a hard copy was sent by postal mail
