Geneva: UN Human Rights Expert urges UNESCO on Friday not to provide the status of the World Heritage Site to the National Park in Thailand where they say native people are arrested and expelled from their traditional land.
Appeal of independent experts came ahead of the review Monday by the UNESCO committee, where the Thai government was looking for inheritance status for the third time since 2016.
China and Russia were among countries that support their mutual efforts, which were not referred to the Karen ethnic community who lived in Kameng Krachan Vast National Park near the Myanmar border.
Thai officials are not immediately available to comment on the worries of experts that inheritance status will deny the people of their rights to remain in traditional land where their agriculture techniques help maintain biodiversity.
“This is a case of important precedent settings, and can affect policies about how indigenous peoples’ rights are respected in protected areas throughout Asia,” UN experts said in a statement.
“Karen traditionally in the national park continues to be forcibly expelled and their homes are burning,” they said.
More than 80 Karen Ethnic has been captured this year, 28 of which are prosecuted for ‘encroachment’ in their land in the park, including a child, the statement said.
It was said that there was no consultation in “good faith” that allowed Karen to take part in the UNESCO nomination process.
The International Union for Nature Conservation said that UNESCO must postpone naming the park as a World Heritage Site.
Swiss-based groups said the Thai government must show that there is support for the plan of all indigenous people affected by providing security of land and livelihoods.