Timeline The Plight of the Karen Indigenous Peoples of Bang Kloi by CrCF

1912 The communities of Bang Kloi and Jai Pandin are part of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi Province, bordering Myanmar in the west. ¹สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

1956 Thailand conducted the first civil survey and the civil registration in 1956-1957. The Ministry of the Interior admitted that the registration did not cover the entire population, especially those in remote and mountainous areas. ²หนังสือใจแผ่นดิน แผ่นดินกลางใจกะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจาน

1961 The first National Park Act took effect. ³สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

1981 Kaeng Krachan National Park was established. A national park is defined as any area that is preserved in its original state, and no person is allowed to settle or live in that area.⁴สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

1995-1996 The government asked the villagers of Bang Kloi Bon and Jai Pandin communities, which are part of Kaeng Krachan National Park, to move out and resettle in the area designated by the state. The negotiation was successful. ⁵บันทึกลับจาก “บางกลอย” ปฐมบทการต่อสู้ของ “กะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจาน, https://www.the101.world/bang-kloi

1996 Some of the villagers who were arranged to live on rocky and unfarmable lands decided to return to Bang Kloi Bon and Jai Pandin in the same year (1995-1996). Some of them moved to Ratchaburi Province with help from Mr. Tatkamon Ob-orm, whom was well respected by the Karen and people of Bang Kloi and Jai Pandin. ⁶ย้อนอดีต เส้นทางที่ไม่ได้เลือก: กะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจาน

1998 June 30, 1998, the cabinet granted the villagers the right to live and farm the land in the conservation area but they must not invade the forest. The right could not be sold and could only be passed on to descendants. This right was temporary until it was proven that the villagers had been living in the area before it was declared a national park. ⁷หนังสือใจแผ่นดิน แผ่นดินกลางใจกะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจาน

2010

1) The cabinet passed a resolution on August 3, 2010 to address human rights abuses against the traditional Karen communities and to guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples in the areas. ⁸ใบแจ้งข่าว: ผู้นําชุมชนเชื้อสายกะเหรี่ยงเรียกร้องให้รัฐบาลคุ้มครองสิทธิชุมชนท้องถิ่นดั้งเดิมในผืนป่าแก่งกระจาน และปฏิบัติตามมติคณะรัฐมนตรีวันที่ 3 สิงหาคม 2553 ก่อนขึ้นทะเบียนมรดกโลก https://crcfthailand.org/2020/01/24/13925

2) The cabinet passed a resolution to propose to UNESCO to list “Kaeng Krachan Forests” as a natural world heritage. The world heritage status would make Kaeng Krachan a profitable tourist destination. To achieve that, the years-long dispute over the area with the Karen must be ended. ⁹สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

2010-2011
In a secret operation, led by the head of Kaeng Krachan National Park, with forest rangers, police, and military personnel, the Karen people who left the designated area of ‘Bang Kloi Lang’ and returned to ‘Bang Kloi Bon and Jai Pandin’ were arrested. This operation took place 10-12 times, involving the burning of villagers’ houses and barns. The operation was revealed in 2011 when a helicopter crashed in Kaeng Krachan forests. ¹⁰บันทึกลับจาก “บางกลอย” ปฐมบทการต่อสู้ของ “กะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจาน, https://www.the101.world/bang-kloi

2011
September 10, 2011 – Mr. Tatkamon Ob-Om, who supported the Karen in suing the national park officers was shot dead while driving. After the investigation, the prosecutor sued the head of Kaeng Krachan National Park. However, the court later dismissed the lawsuit. Until now, the culprit is still at large. ¹¹สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

2012
May 1, 2012 – Mr. Na-Ae Mimi, a Karen living in Kaeng Krachan, filed a lawsuit against the National Park for forcing displacement, arresting, and giving false reports that damaged the Karen people of Bang Kloi. ¹²หนังสือใจแผ่นดิน แผ่นดินกลางใจกะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจาน

May 4, 2012 – Grandfather Ko-i or Mr. Ko-i Mimi, a 100-year-old Karen spiritual leader, along with five other villagers, filed a lawsuit to the Central Administrative Court against the Department of National Parks for burning the villagers’ houses and rice barns. Grandfather Ko- i also asked the court to allow the Karen people to return to the park as before. ¹³สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

2013 Billy Porlajee, the leader of Bang Kloi who assisted the lawyers in collecting evidence and testifying in the Administrative Court in the case against the Department of National Parks for burning Karen’s houses, disappeared after being retained by the park staff. ¹⁴จาก #Saveบิลลี่ ถึง #Saveบางกลอย https://twitter.com/iLawFX/status/1363793509166186505

2016 The Central Administrative Court ruled that the Department of National Parks must compensate each plaintiff 10,000 baht, but did not allow the Bang Kloi Karen to return to their homeland. The plaintiffs, therefore, appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court.

2018 The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the government officials overacted and had to compensate the plaintiffs for 300,000 baht. The court guaranteed the right of the villagers to their traditional livelihood, including rotational farming, but did not confirm whether the people of Bang Kloi could return to Bang Kloi Bon – Jai Pandin or not. ¹⁵จาก #Saveบิลลี่ ถึง #Saveบางกลอย https://twitter.com/iLawFX/status/1363793509166186505

2019 The Department of Special Investigation found skeletal fragments of Billy Porlajee in an oil tank. Although the cause of death has not been identified yet, it was obvious that there was an attempt to hide the evidence. ¹⁶จาก #Saveบิลลี่ ถึง #Saveบางกลอย https://twitter.com/iLawFX/status/1363793509166186505

2020
January 29, 2020 – The Karen people issued a statement expressing disagreement on the Thai government’s proposal to list Kaeng Krachan as a natural world heritage, adding that the government had not yet solved the problem of their livelihood and land use as suggested by the UNHCR. ¹⁷ชาวกะเหรี่ยงแก่งกระจานร้องรัฐแก้ปัญหาที่ดิน ทรัพยากร คดีบิลลี่ก่อนขอมรดกโลก https://prachatai.com/journal/2020/01/86127

July 25, 2020 – Kaeng Krachan Police Station issued warrants for four Karens of Bang Kloi for “seizing or occupying land, including doing construction, and clearing or burning forests,” based on the lawsuit filed by the Department of National Parks. ¹⁸10 ปี มติ ครม. ฟื้นฟูวิถีชีวิตวัฒนธรรมกะเหรี่ยง วันนี้ยังถูกจับข้อหาบุกรุกแผ้วถางป่า https://thecitizen.plus/node/33513

December 16, 2020 – Bang Kloi villagers submitted a letter to the World Heritage Committee calling on the Thai government to resolve community problems before registering Kaeng Krachan as a World Heritage site. ¹⁹ชาวบางกลอย ร้อง กก.มรดกโลก วอนรัฐบาลแก้ปัญหาที่ทํากินก่อนขึ้นทะเบียนกลุ่มป่าแก่งกระจาน https://www.thaipost.net/main/detail/87066?fbclid=IwAR0Us-SvFRqkApi_uRe9KlmKMStqmnAFNn6c-_02WsTzjT7D45RzqHpwQR4

December 18, 2020 – The Conservation Area Administration Office (Zone 3, Phetchaburi Province) responded to the three complaints of Bang Kloi people in the letter submitted to the World Heritage Committee as follows:

1. The problem of arable land for villagers
Kaeng Krachan National Park completed the survey of land holdings in the conservation area and already gave the map to the people of Pong Luek and Bang Kloi communities.

2. The request from Bang Kloi villagers to do rotational farming, the practice recognized as a cultural heritage by the Thai government
Villagers can live or make a living in national parks, but all activities must be within the designated land boundaries and in accordance with Section 64 of the National Park Act 2019.

3. The request from Bang Kloi villagers to return to their homeland, which was previously recognized as a village area by the Ministry of Interior.
The Department of National Parks was unable to grant such permission as it was contrary to the National Park Act 2019 and might cause damage to forests, sources of water and the Pranburi River. ²⁰ชี้แจงข้อเท็จจริง กะเหรี่ยงบางกลอย ยื่น 3 ข้อ คณะกรรมการมรดกโลก https://www.thairath.co.th/news/local/central/1997537?fbclid=IwAR1rO5HwvRPz7pPqIk2dMmwOI8OlUycIv_MBoe5x3-TpdrTeQCLu-odrGeY

2021
In early 2021-80 Karen, including 20 children, from 36 families returned to the national park and started clearing the forest to make a living and farming again. “It’s been 20 years. The villagers have waited too long for the problem to be solved. I think it’s time to go back, said one Bang Kloi youth. The Karen people claimed the right to live in the area since they had been there long before the state declared Kaeng Krachan a national park. ²¹สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

February 16, 2021 – Government officials and SAVE Bangkloi signed an agreement to settle the conflict peacefully. The agreement includes the withdrawal of all authorities from Bang Kloi village, and villagers who wish to return to their traditional livelihood shall do so at Baan Bang Kloi Bon-Jai Pandin.

After 3 days, however, the government revoked the agreement because a helicopter patrol found that 0.24 km2 of the forest was cleared. The assistant head of the national park said, “There was a trace of burning, smoke, and sign of area expansion.²²สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/

In late February 2021, the network of human rights organizations called for the government to stop arresting villagers and restore the right to traditional livelihood in the conservation area to the villagers according to cabinet’s resolution on August 3, 2010 ²³ข้อพิพาทยาวนาน ที่ดินกะเหรี่ยงบางกลอย จากปู่คอยมาสู่บิลลี่ ถูกจับเพิ่ม 22 คน https://www.thairath.co.th/scoop/theissue/2045220

March 5, 2021 – More than 100 military-police officers arrested 85 Karens in Jai Pandin and Bang Kloi Bon. Of those, 22 were charged with land occupation in the national park area. They were not allowed to meet their relatives and lawyers.

March 7, 2021 – The Phetchaburi Provincial Court approved a temporary release without bail provided that “the accused refrain from re-entering the park area without permission” to prevent damage to the environment during the trial. The court appointed the village headman to make sure that the 22 offenders strictly comply with the conditions set by the court.”

March 16, 2021, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha signed an order to set up a working committee to finding solution to the Bang Kloi dispute in the next 30 days. However, there are only four academic representatives in this committee and zero from the Karen community. Furthermore, the 22 arrested are still facing unfair charges and some are still traumatised by the abusive poser during the judicial process. ²⁴สรุปทุกอย่างให้เข้าใจ #SAVEบางกลอย เรื่องราวการต่อสู้ระหว่างอํานาจรัฐกับชาวกะเหรี่ยง, https://workpointtoday.com/explaine/