In 2011, Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation evicted 400 indigenous Karen villagers from their homes in the Kaeng Krachan National Park in Petchaburi. When some returned, authorities burned their houses to the ground.
Seven years later, the Thai Supreme Court has decided that the authorities acted lawfully, stating the Karen villagers had no claim to the land.
But while upholding the actions of the department, they also ordered it to pay 50,000 baht in damages to the six plaintiffs in the case whose homes were burned to the ground, calling the destruction “excessive”.
The Karen villagers had been living in that area long before it was deemed part of a national park in 1981.
The spiritual leader of the village is Ko-ee Mimee, who is said to be 105-years-old. According to Human Rights Watch, his grandson Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen, a prominent Karen and environmental activist, disappeared in 2014 after last being seen in government custody in the park.
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For law advice or help, contact the expert Thai and US attorneys in Thailand at Chaninat & Leeds.
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