Sai Thong National Park
Currently, Sai Thong National Park has no UNESCO Classification.
Thailand actively engages in the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), a worldwide collaboration supported by the World Bank to mitigate carbon emissions and address climate change.[1]
In 2013, Thailand presented a "Readiness Preparation Proposal" to the World Bank, seeking a $3.6 million grant for the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Readiness program through the FCPF. In 2014, the grant was approved by the World Bank.[2]
In January 2024, the Thailand Government’s proposal to expand carbon credit schemes at COP28 raised concerns from Indigenous communities that this will directly affect their lands within and surrounding the Sai Thong National Park. "If our community forest is included in the carbon credit project, we are afraid that we will not be able to go in and work on the land,” said Nittaya Muangkhlang of the Subwai community.[3]
Working Group in support of the 14 Sab Wai Villagers in the Sai Thong National Park Case, consisting of:[1]
Manushya Foundation: WeAreManushyan@manushyafoundation.org
Isaan Land Reform Network (ILRN): https://www.facebook.com/ILRNfundraising/
Focus on the Global South (FOCUS): https://focusweb.org
iLAW: https://www.ilaw.or.th
Protection International (PI): https://www.protectioninternational.org
Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies of Mahidol University: https://ihrp.mahidol.ac.th
Rangsit University: https://www.rsuip.org
Thunya Netithamkul, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation
Suthep Ketwechsuriya,
Director of Sai Thong National Park
+66 2562 0760[1] (number for park)
Sai Thong National Park at P.O. Box 1,
Nong Bua Rawe, Chaiyaphum 36250
Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation
Bangkok 10900
World Bank: In 2016, Thailand received a grant of $3.6 million from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility to manage and protect its forests.[1]
USAID: Annual Progress Report 2022 notes involvement through the Association for Restoration of Esaan Rural Eco-System (ARERES) to conduct an advocacy meeting with government officials who are involved in land use disputes in Sai Thong National Park, Chaiyaphum Province to present and promote the use of the model approach in the Northeast.[2]
Five Indigenous communities have territories in contention with Sai Thong National Park: 1) Ban Nong Phak Waen, founded in 1958; 2) Hin Ru community, established in 1969; 3) Sapwai community, established in 1972; 4) the Ban Sap Salete group, established in 1975; and 5) the Ban Sok Takhian group, established in 1976. Following the establishment of the communities in the region, the Nayangklak National Forest Reserve was declared in 1979. This declaration overlapped with the residential and agricultural lands of the villagers, yet no issues had arisen at that point. In 1990, the government initiated the Land Distribution Program for the Poor Living in Degraded National Forest Reserve Areas project, aiming to expand forest reserve areas. Subsequently, villagers who had established communities before the announcement of the Forest Reserve and National Park faced pressure and forced migration. Some became part of a network addressing forest-land issues and joined the Isan Farmers Assembly. Ultimately, the government, led by Anand Panyarachun, announced the cancellation of the project on July 3, 1992.
On December 30, 1992, Sai Thong National Park in Chaiyaphum Province was officially established. The park, covering 199,375 rai, affected six villages and two subdistricts—Huai Yae Subdistrict and Wang Takhe Subdistrict in Nong Bua Rawe District, Chaiyaphum Province. This declaration resulted in an overlap with farm and residential lands. Cabinet resolutions on September 16, 1997, and June 20, 1998, outlined that the Royal Forest Department would operate per local land and forest resource management plans. This involved surveying areas where citizens owned land and lived within national forest reserves, registering them as owners of forest areas. This data was intended for use as a database in the state's land management and administration.[1]
Fourteen Sab Wai villagers, a small farming community living off their land within the Sai Thong National Park since the 1970s, were first accused of forest encroachment in 2016 and subsequently jailed in 2019. They were released on bail.
In 2021, the Supreme Court sentenced 11 villagers to suspended jail terms and 3 villagers to prison
terms. In 2022, villagers faced the imminent threat of forced evictions from their homes and lands, as well as reprisals. The villagers still live on their land, though the uncertainty of the land tenure, imprisonment, the legal and administrative battle, and reprisals against them have taken a toll on their mental health.
In August 2018, Chaiyaphum Provincial Court convicted 14 farmers, including nine women, who are advocates for land and human rights in the Ban Sapwai community. They were found guilty of violating the Forest Act, B.E. 2484 (1941), the National Reserved Forest Act, B.E. 2507 (1964), and the National Park Act, B.E. 2504 (1961). Despite ongoing consideration by the Office of the Prime Minister and the establishment of a task force to review their rights for community land use, each of them faces the prospect of lengthy imprisonment and substantial fines, reaching up to 900,000 baht. On May 15, 2019, the Appeal Court upheld the August 2018 decision of the Chaiyaphum Provincial Court, confirming Nittaya Maungklang's (leading Ban Sapwai women’s, human, and land rights defender) guilt for trespassing onto land within the national park without proper authorization.[1]
From March to May 2021, the Supreme Court of Thailand upheld the decisions of lower courts, declaring all 14 villagers culpable for encroachment, possession for personal gain, construction, reclamation, and forest destruction. While the court suspended prison sentences for eleven villagers, it mandated fines for all, coupled with community service for the majority. Eviction orders were also reaffirmed. Reportedly, since the start of 2022, national park officers have allegedly made repeated visits, issuing threats to compel the villagers to abandon their land.[2]
NCPO order 64/2557, issued on June 14, which ordered government agencies to abolish deforestation and encroachment on forest reserves in the country.[1]
National Parks Act, B.E. 2562 (2019)[2]— Section 65 of this legislation grants communities with a historical presence in or around parks the right to enter and utilize certain forest resources. Nonetheless, the authority to grant such permission resides entirely within the discretion of national park authorities.[3] The legislation also restricts land use privileges to a duration of 20 years and imposes a cap of approximately 8 acres (3.2 hectares) per family, a limitation criticized by land rights organizations as insufficient.[4]
National Reserved Forests Act (No.4), B.E.2559 (2016)
In January 2020, individuals affiliated with the People's Movement for a Just Society (P-MOVE) established a camp near the Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Their objective was to urge the ministry to address land disputes between villages and the state. Additionally, the group submitted a petition to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, seeking the granting of management rights to communities on forest land and the discontinuation of legal actions against them for alleged forest encroachment.[1]
As noted prior, in January 2024, the Thailand Government’s proposal to expand carbon credit schemes at COP28 has raised concerns from Indigenous communities that this will directly affect their lands within and surrounding the Sai Thong National Park. "If our community forest is included in the carbon credit project, we are afraid that we will not be able to go in and work on the land,” said Nittaya Muangkhlang of the Subwai community.[2]
https://www.manushyafoundation.org/unsr-submission-sai-thong-np-case
https://prachataienglish.com/node/8181 https://apwld.org/press-release-drop-all-charges-against-land-and-human-rights-defenders-from-ban-sapwai-thailand/ https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC209655/#:~:text=Thailand-,National%20Parks%20Act%2C%20B.E.,V)%3B%20Penalties%20(VI)
https://www.manushyafoundation.org/_files/ugd/a0db76_a88eb59ede9e4d61913ba04c36f02764.pdf
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1835009/activists-set-up-camp-over-land-issues
https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/19/thailand-military-forcibly-evicts-forest-residents