Last week, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) announced that the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is violating the basic human rights of Karen ethnic minorities living deep in the forest in Bang Kloy Bon in Kaeng Krachan National Park. The NHRC reportedly stated the DNP cannot invoke the National Park Act to kick out the Karen residents living there, despite the forest having been made a national park a few decades ago.
The NHRC had reportedly 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 despite repeated efforts from the DNP to kick them out. According to the NHRC, indigenous people have the right to maintain their way of life under the 2017 Constitution.
