Ob Khan National Park
Ob Khan National Park is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Karen Environmental and Social Action Group*
Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Thailand Based
Environment contact person: Lakpa Nuri Sherpa
Email: nuri@aippnet.org
*These are regional support groups involved in Karen advocacy around issues such as human rights violations committed by National Parks in Thailand. May not be directly connected to advocacy concerning Ob Khan National Park.
It is difficult to find information about conservation NGOs and foundations that are directly involved with the management of Ob Khan National Park. However, WWF has regional operations in Thailand that directly work with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation on ecological conservation projects. Notably, on December 1st, 2017, Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with five international organizations including the IUCN, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, Freeland, and the Zoological Society of London for fostering effective conservation and management across Thailand’s natural World Heritage Sites.[1]
Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Division of Wild Fauna and Flora Protection.
Contact Details:
Telephone Numbers: +66 (2) 579 86 26. /// +66 (2) 561 48 38
No donor information is publicly available.
Ob Khan National Park was officially established in 1992 on the lands of the Karen Indigenous People. In 1993, an estimated 1200 Karen households were living within the park area.[1] The park covers an area of around 480 square kilometers and is home to numerous species of wild animals. Geographically, the Ob Khan National Park consists of high mountain peaks, rivers, forests, and canyons.[2] As per concerns listed in the 2023 IWGIA Indigenous Peoples in Thailand Report, the Thailand Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation has been planning to expand the National Park since 1996. These expansion plans have escalated since 2022 due to the concerns and opposition of Karen Indigenous communities - whose lifeways depend on the lands subject to encroachment.
There is little public record of violations that have occurred within Ob Khan National Park against Indigenous communities, however, the park expansion project being proposed by the Thailand Government is of great concern and has been widely opposed by the Karen Indigenous communities surrounding the Ob Khan boundaries. According to Indigenous rights activist Patchara Kumchumnam, propaganda against Indigenous custodianship and land management is prolific. "The government said they have to occupy the land and the current National Park, because if you let the Indigenous people manage their own land, they will destroy the soil or the forest but in fact, the people have lived there for hundreds of years and the national resources are still beautiful." Expanding the park’s jurisdiction would have a destructive impact on Indigenous livelihoods, forcing the villagers to reduce their reliance on traditional farming practices (such as rotational farming or slash-and-burn farming) and therefore food sovereignty.[1]Spiritual practices would also be disrupted - according to Kumchumnan the lands subject to expansion contain “a children's cemetery, for instance, that very few can enter, and certain trees that are considered connected to human spirits and cannot be cut down. Under the parks department’s governance, villagers worry they would lose the comfort and privacy of these spaces, as well as the freedom to manage spiritual sites as they see fit.”
In January 2023, village leaders filed a complaint against the Ob Khan National Park Department charging that officials mishandled a 2022 land survey meant to gauge public opinion on the park’s expansion. An investigation by the Thailand National Human Rights Commission into whether the Government violated the villager’s rights and withheld critical information regarding the survey is currently underway.[2]
On October 18th, 2022, there was a public hearing conducted with stakeholders involved, including Indigenous communities, at the Samoeng district office meeting hall in Chiang Mai. Indigenous people from different villages were unanimously opposed to the proposal to expand the protected area boundary. Mr. Sira Pongpanit, village headman of Moo. 5 requested that 3,891 ha. be mapped out from the Ob Khan National Park and protected as Indigenous land. “It is our spiritual land. We have taken good care of this for a long time…We would like the officers to see us as forest caretakers, not encroachers… that way we can mutually work together.[3]
National Forest Reserve Act 2507 (A.D. 1964).[1]
Forestry Act (No.8) B.E. 2562 (2019).[2]
Wildlife Sanctuary Act B.E. 2562 (2019)[3]
National Parks Act National Park Act, B.E. 2504 (1961)[4]
Several draft laws have been submitted to the Thai Parliament aimed at protecting the rights of the country’s Indigenous Peoples including:[5]
- Draft law on the Council of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand B.E.
- Draft law on the Promotion and Protection of Ethnic Groups B.E.
- Draft law on the Protection and Promotion of Ethnic Groups’ Livelihoods B.E.
- Draft law on the protection and promotion of the livelihoods of ethnic groups and Indigenous Peoples submitted by the People’s Movement for a Just Society.
[1] https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC053402/#:~:text=Forests%20Act%2C%20B.E.-,2507%20(A.D.%201964).,in%20accordance%20with%20the%20law.
[3] https://leap.unep.org/en/countries/th/national-legislation/wildlife-conservation-and-protection-act-be-2562-2019-0#:~:text=This%20Act%20is%20enacted%20to,in%20these%20areas%20in%20a
Members of the National Human Rights Commission met villagers and National Park officials in January 2023. The commission says it is investigating whether the government violated the villagers’ rights, including by withholding information from the communities ahead of the survey.[1]