The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is violating the basic human rights of Karen ethnic minorities living in Phetchaburi's Kaeng Krachan district, saying the villagers have the right to stay in Bang Kloy under the 2017 constitution.
A source close to the matter said yesterday that NHRC chairwoman, Pornprapai Ganjanarintr, had sent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha a series of guidelines to protect the rights of Karen residents in Bang Kloy Bon, who have been fighting to stay in their village -- which is located inside Kaeng Krachan National Park -- amid repeated efforts from the DNP to kick them out.
According to the source, indigenous people have the right to maintain their way of living under the 2017 constitution.
As such, the source went on, the DNP cannot invoke the National Park Act to kick out the Karen residents living in Bang Kloy Bon.
While the Karen living in the area have been told that they must leave their homes within the park's boundaries since 1996, they have continued to fight for the right to stay and utilise the area's resources.
Though most residents ultimately moved to a new settlement, many wished to return to Bang Kloy Bon, citing a lack of arable land that suited their needs. Those who actually returned were arrested by park authorities for violating the National Park Act.
The source said the arrest of 22 Karen who returned to Bang Kloy Bon on March 5, 2021, constituted a violation of their human rights, as authorities not only interrogated them without a qualified interpreter present, but also took their DNA samples.