When the news broke that ethnic Karen activist Por Cha Lee Rakcharoen, better known as "Billy", had disappeared without a trace, all eyes turned to the controversial park chief Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, the arch enemy of Karen forest dwellers there.
Suspicions grew when it was revealed that Mr Por Cha Lee was arrested by park officials for possessing six bottles of honey last Thursday before he disappeared.
After the arrest, Mr Chaiwat drove all the way to personally meet and reprimand Mr Por Cha Lee for what Mr Chaiwat later described himself as a “small offence”.
Mr Chaiwat insisted he had already released Mr Por Cha Lee and did not know his whereabouts. His aides confirmed the release story which the Karen forest dwellers and several human rights groups refuse to buy.
For starters, they did not know if Mr Por Cha Lee was really carrying wild honey — a protected forest resource — as alleged. But they know the activist was on his way to collect signatures from forest dwellers for a royal appeal against the park chief’s alleged abuse of power.
Was that why he was stopped and then disappeared?
The questions arise from the climate of fear in Kaeng Krachan, the conflicts between the park chief and the indigenous Karen forest dwellers, his determination to evict them in the name of forest conservation, and his indignation at their “nerve” to fight for their rights.
“I believe he was abducted,” said his tearful wife Munor while holding their toddler, the youngest of their five children. “We are waiting for his return. Please find him for us.”
Munor, her children, and a small group of forest dwellers went to request help from the Phetchaburi governor on Monday. The sad news is that the governor can do very little for them.
Under the park bureaucracy, Mr Chaiwat reports directly to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry for Natural Resources and Environment, which has been fiercely protective of Mr Chaiwat despite a series of scandals at Kaeng Krachan.
In 2011, Mr Chaiwat led a violent crackdown in the deep jungle of Kaeng Krachan which resulted in the crash of three military helicopters — a national tragedy. The indigenous Karen forest dwellers were evicted after their houses and barns were burned to ashes. Mr Chaiwat denied it at first, but became speechless when photos of the scene taken by his team later emerged.
To justify the operation, he described the forest dwellers as illegal immigrants and Karen insurgents from Myanmar. The allegation worked because it touched the ingrained prejudices against hill tribespeople. In truth, they are indigenous Karen with Thai nationality.
When local politician Tatkamol Ob-om took up the forest dwellers’ cause and threatened to reveal the “murky activities” in the park, he was gunned down. Mr Chaiwat is charged with masterminding his murder in a pending court case.
Any officials facing such a charge are normally temporarily dismissed or moved out of the area to facilitate the court case. Yet, Mr Chaiwat remains the lord of Kaeng Krachan amid complaints of intimidation from the forest dwellers.
Mr Por Cha Lee, 30, is closely involved with his people’s fight for their rights to stay in their ancestral land. Being fluent in Thai, he has helped the forest people with translation tasks when they have sought justice from the Administrative Court. He was also instrumental in their plan to petition His Majesty the King.
Mr Chaiwat insists the Kaeng Krachan Karen are destroying the forest and that they are being manipulated by some human rights NGOs. The truth is the forests where the Kaeng Krachan Karen live are healthy, thanks to their simple lifestyles and ecological farming practices. The constitution also recognises the rights of indigenous peoples to live in their ancestral lands if their occupancy pre-dates national parks’ foundation. A 2010 cabinet resolution also prohibits the arrest of indigenous peoples while settling land-sharing deals with them.
Mr Chaiwat might believe that by having someone tell the media that Mr Por Cha Lee was already released would be enough to let the matter rest. It is not.
Mr Por Cha Lee disappeared in the area under his supervision. He has the responsibility to search for the Karen activist and apprehend the culprits. His superiors must make it happen if Mr Chaiwat refuses to do so. Better still, move Mr Chaiwat out of Kaeng Krachan to facilitate the course of justice.
If not, Munor’s hopes of finding her husband and the forest dwellers’ quest for justice will amount to nothing.
Sanitsuda Ekachai is editorial pages editor, Bangkok Post.