Statements

On January 14, 2021, there was a news report from the transborder news agency that a community of indigenous Karen people decided to travel from Baan Bang Kloi Lang back to where they had originally made their home and resting ground, with around 30-40 people together, with various families.

It has now been six years since the disappearance of Mr. Porlajee Rakchongcharoen or “Billy.” Billy was an indigenous Karen human rights defender and grandson of Kor-ee Mimi, the spiritual leader who fought for community rights of the Karen people in Bang Kloy Bon – Jai Pan Din area in the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex (KKFC) which has been designated as a national park.

The Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT) and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) have followed-up on the enforced disappearance of Mr. Polajee Rakchongcharoen (or Billy), an Indigenous-Karen human rights defender in Kang Krachan Forest Complex (KKFC), Petchaburi Province, Thailand since 2014.  The NIPT and AIPP would like to express their deepest condolences to family members, relatives and all colleagues of Billy after the official press release of the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) of Thailand on 3 September 2019 confirming the death of Billy.

Today (17 April 2019) marks the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen, an indigenous Karen human rights defender who had allegedly been enforced disappeared by a group of government officers. The past five years reflect an utter failure of the Thai justice system and government to bring the perpetrators to justice and protect the rights of the indigenous Karen community in Baan Bang Kloy-Jai Pandin. 

At 11.50 am, on 10 January 2019, an unknown number of unidentified perpetrators have fired shots into the defence volunteers stationed at Buko School, Moo 5, Tambon Prachan, in Pattani province’s Yarang district causing four fatalities among the defence volunteers including (1) Sulaiman Wae-useng, (2) Muhammad Taeteng, (3) Abdulloh Salae, and (4) Bueraheng Jing.

During 25-31 October 2018, it has been widely reported that the Director General of the Department of National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation had instructed his officials to report the case with the Kaeng Krachan Police Station, Kaeng Krachan District, Phetchaburi against ethnic Karens including descendants of Mr. Ko-i Mimi, aka Grandpa Ko-I, and five other persons.