Today is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, a day in which people come together to highlight the plight of indigenous peoples around the globe.
In Thailand, ethnic minorities and indigenous people have more reason to be hopeful as legal protection is close to becoming a reality.
According to the Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Thailand has more than 60 ethnic groups, numbering over 6 million people, or 10% of the population.
Despite their rich cultural contributions, they face severe disadvantages stemming from ethnic prejudice and policy discrimination.
Since many of them live in remote forests, highlands and coastal areas, they do not have access to healthcare, education and infrastructure. They are also treated as non-Thais, robbed of their generational land rights.
The discrimination stems from an education system that fosters the belief that Thailand is a racially homogenous nation. In reality, this land has always long been a cultural crossroads, with intermarriages among various ethnic groups. The idea of a pure Thai race is a political tool of oppression. Those living in forest and coastal areas are shunned and denied the right to use and manage their ancestral lands.
In addition, draconian forest and national park laws have branded indigenous people as illegal encroachers despite them having lived there since long before, subjecting them to eviction and imprisonment.
Their decades-long campaigns for legal rights have finally borne fruit. A draft for the Protection and Promotion of Ethnic People's Culture Act has passed the first reading at the House of Representatives.
This proposed law, currently under review, aims to ensure that indigenous peoples have the legal right to preserve their culture. It seeks to establish local and national mechanisms to promote partnerships in sustainable development and reduce disparity by guaranteeing equal access to opportunities.
Under this law, the prime minister would chair a national policy board to ensure legal protection for indigenous peoples under operational mechanisms aimed at protecting ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples.
The National Council of Ethnic and Indigenous Peoples, an independent platform for self-management, would also receive state recognition under this law. More importantly, the law would legally recognise cultural areas to safeguard their way of life and heritage.
This move would strengthen traditional roles in forest and environmental conservation through the use of ancestral knowledge and skills. It would also improve their quality of life and enhance community resilience via ethnic wisdom and culture.
This legislation is not about giving special rights to ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, said Piyarat Tiyapairat, a Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai and chair of the extraordinary committee reviewing the draft. Instead, it aims to help vulnerable groups gain better access to rights and opportunities, he said. In addition, this legislation will make ethnic and indigenous people a strong partner in forest conservation, he noted.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has promised a quick review of this law.
As ethnic and indigenous people across the country gather to celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples today at the Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, their hopes rest on the premier's promise to follow through so their legal rights can finally become a reality.