HRW urges Thailand to halt 26 Karen deportations

Human Rights Watch has called on Thailand to stop the possible deportation of 26 ethnic Karen villagers arrested in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchaburi province.

The group says returning them to Myanmar could expose them to grave danger, citing widespread abuses by Myanmar's military since the February 2021 coup.

The villagers were transferred to Bangkok's Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center after officials raided the Karen community at Ban Pa Deng village on 10 August. They now face immigration charges and possible removal to Myanmar.

Raid led to 28 arrests

District and forestry officials, accompanied by Thai military personnel, targeted residents who could not show proof of Thai citizenship during the operation in Kaeng Krachan National Park.

Authorities arrested 28 villagers, among them eight children and two pregnant women. Two people were released after officials checked and verified their residence registration records, leaving 26 in detention.

Concern over return to Myanmar

"Deporting ethnic Karen villagers to Myanmar would put them at risk of grave danger," said Elaine Pearson, Human Rights Watch's Asia director.

Human Rights Watch said Myanmar's military has carried out mass killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and unlawful attacks since seizing power in 2021. More than 2 million people have been internally displaced, while more than 100,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, it said.

Community leaders told the organisation that authorities have recently labelled undocumented Karen living in Kaeng Krachan National Park as "illegal immigrants", leaving them open to arrest and removal.

Ban Pa Deng residents also said at least 10 villagers deported to Myanmar about two months ago remain unaccounted for.

Human Rights Watch said sending the 26 detainees back could breach Thailand's obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture and the international non-refoulement principle, which bars the return of people to places where they face a genuine risk of persecution, torture or other serious harm.

The rights group also cited Thailand's Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, which prohibits deportation where there is a substantial risk of torture or ill-treatment.

Long-standing Karen communities

Karen communities have lived for generations in areas now within Thailand and Myanmar, including Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, before Kaeng Krachan National Park was created.

The Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. Authorities have since prohibited settlement inside the park, including by Karen communities, despite concerns raised by UN human rights experts, Thailand's National Human Rights Commission and Indigenous groups over ancestral land rights.

"Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council's review of Thailand's human rights record in November, the Thai government should immediately end its abusive treatment of ethnic Karen in the Kaeng Krachan National Park," Pearson said.

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21 August 2026

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