The Royal Thai Forestry Department has a policy to take as
much land away from the Akha Hill Tribe as possible under
the umbrella of protecting the forest areas as decreed by
law. This stance completely ignores community forestry or
community property rights. As well, there is little to no
evidence that the Forestry Department has ever made any attempt
to get the Akha people to work with them in protecting the
forest.
The situations in the villages are not perfect. But taking
rice land while having no cooperative agreements will not
make them any better. Crop susbstitution for opium crops has
little evidence for its existence. In most cases poverty has
been substituted. Neither does there seem to be any level
at the village level to educate about the forests while supporting
land and food security. This would show good faith, would
gain cooperation. We do not see this occuring however. Forced
Village Relocations: Many Akha villages have been forced to
relocate into poverty. We track these events and attempt to
block forced relocations through media alerts. Relocated villages
we continue to assist.
Here is the statement from the villagers,
their names, the number of people in their households:
The village of
HUAI MAK - Moo 18 Mae Salong Nai -
Ampher Mae Fah Luang
- Chiang Rai - province.
1. We don"t want to move
to a new place away from a place that gives us the chance of
survival. How could we possibly harvest anything in this so-called
new home? If we stay where we live now and where we do live
a long time already then there is farming for us and orchards
in a way that prepares us to have a livelihood in an even quite
comfortable way - a way that actually did not at all lead us
into getting cut asunder anyhow.
2. Our village is existing
at least 78 years already. How should we have survived under
our present conditions (look for yourself) so long if we would
have cut down the forest? Don"t tell us about technology. We
do know how to preserve.
3. The piece of land that
the military would like to give us we would gladly refuse just
because of the fact that no agricultural activities are feasible
on a plot such precicpitous.
Following are the signatures of all
the households that do not express any interest into getting
their village moved:
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