Thai government to negotiate with Karens residing in national park

[webfact]

Thai government to negotiate with Karens residing in national park

 

 

Karens in the upper Banggloy village, in Kaeng Krachan National Park of Phetchaburi province, are proposing that the National park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department allocate 2.4 hectares to each family for farming, after the government has been trying to relocate them to the lower Banggloy village.

 

This Karen tribe has been living in Banggloy since before the area was declared a national park in 1981. There have been many attempts to relocate them, citing the need to preserve the watershed forest. Those who agreed to move claim that they have not received help from the government as promised, resulting in some of them moving back.

On Monday, there was a protest at Pathumwan intersection in Bangkok, calling for the government to withdraw security forces from the Banggloy area. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (วราวุธ ศิลปอาชา) agreed to the demand and promised no further intimidation.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-government-to-negotiate-with-karens-residing-in-national-park/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-02-25

 

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[bluesofa]

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

Those who agreed to move claim that they have not received help from the government as promised, resulting in some of them moving back.

I can't believe the government reneging on a promise, surely not?

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I can't believe the government reneging on a promise, surely not?

But I can believe they'd kick them out of home and give them nothing.

[wpcoe]

How unfortunate that "Karen" has taken a different meaning in the contemporary vernacular.  I briefly had an entirely different meaning in mind when I read the headline.

[connda]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

This Karen tribe has been living in Banggloy since before the area was declared a national park in 1981.

Well, there you have it.  The Karen's where there first.  They should be allowed to stay.