Brussels, 1 July 2019

In response to the unjust prosecution of 14 land and human rights defenders in Thailand, Protection International, alongside 225 international Civil Society Organisations, has signed the following statement:

Available in English and Thai

Human Rights Organisations Urge Thai Government to Drop All Charges Against Women Land and Human Rights Defenders in Ban Sapwai community 

We, the undersigned organizations, express our concerns on the Appeals Court decisions in the ongoing cases against women land and human rights defenders from Ban Sapwai, Chaiyaphum, northeastern Thailand.[1] The decisions saw 14 peasants being punished for violating the relevant forest bills[2] despite their rights to community land use should be protected under the Thai constitution and the NCPO order 66/2014.  

There are currently 14 land and human rights defenders from the Ban Sapwai community in Chaiyaphum province who were prosecuted and facing disproportionate terms of imprisonment and fines exceeding one million Thai Baht (approximately USD 32,300). These charges are in direct contradiction to their pending cases before the Office of the Prime Minister where a task force has been set up to review their rights for community land use.

On 18 June, the Appeals Court reaffirmed the decision of the first court to uphold a four-year imprisonment sentence for a cassava peasant Sakol Prakij and increased the damage compensation fee from 900,000 Thai Baht (USD 29,072) to 1,587,211 Thai Baht (USD 52,270). A week earlier, it also upheld imprisonment sentences for the three women peasants and doubled and tripled the damage compensation fee for two of those defendants.[2] On 4 June 2019, the court also sentenced a 61-year-old woman to a five-month imprisonment and imposed a damage compensation fee of 150,000 Thai Baht (USD 4,845) for similar charges. 

Similarly, last month on 15 May 2019 and 5 June 2019, the Appeals Court reaffirmed the Chaiyaphum provincial court’s decision[3] which sentenced Nittaya Maungklang, a leading women’s land rights activist from the Ban Sapwai community, in two cases to a 12 months imprisonment and 190,000 Thai Baht (6,137 USD)  damage compensation fee.[4] 

It is concerning that the women’s land and human rights defenders from farming communities are being criminalized for utilizing less than one hectare of land to advance the government’s climate change policies, while these forest lands are being given away to coal mining companies and expansion of special economic zones.[5]  These policies work against the Ban Sapwai and many other communities; and are ‘false solutions’ incapable of addressing urgent climate crisis. As communities continue to be displaced, land and human rights defenders fight harder to assert their right to land and livelihood. The Ban Sapwai is a community of estimated 9,000 families to be evicted due to the Thai junta’s NCPO Order 64/2014, 66/2014, and the Forest Master Plan.[6]

We believe that climate solutions and natural resource management must strive to uphold human rights, and ecological justice and ensure peoples’ democratic participation. It must put the livelihoods of the communities at the center and strive to achieve an ecological balance that sustains the forests in harmony with the traditional communities living there. The government must put Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a fundamental condition for creating and executing any government policy.

Recently, Thailand has been elected as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for a two-year term from 2020-2022, therefore it must uphold a higher standard of state obligations. However, the Thai Government has not yet implemented the recommendations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in its last Universal Periodic Review where recommendations were made for the Thai government to take all necessary measures to reduce poverty, paying special attention to disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups including women, children, older persons and people living in rural areas. 

We join the human rights community in urging the Thai Government to fulfill its human rights obligations for its people in general and the Ban Sapwai community in particular. The Government of Thailand must demonstrate its human rights commitments with the following actions:

1. Scrap the Forest Master Plan, NCPO Order 64/2014, and similar NCPO orders that fail to protect the people and communities’ interests, rights, and sovereignty;

1. Ensure that any policy development adheres to international human rights standards and obligations protecting  people’s right to land, life, development, livelihood, access to resources, and justice; 

1. Ensure that people’s sovereignty is respected through affirming Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) in all stages of policy development and implementation;

1. Drop all charges against 14 land and human rights defenders from Ban Sapwai and cease all other judicial harassment against WHRDs in Thailand; 

1. Ensure that the 14 land and human rights defenders under trial have immediate access to the Justice Fund that provides the financial means necessary for the defendants’ legal processes including bail and upholds the defendants’ rights to bail; 

1. Conduct prompt and independent investigations on attacks against land and human rights defenders;

1. Recognize the important role of women land and human rights defenders in protecting human rights, communities, and the planet, and provide support and protection for their work according to international human rights standards;

1. Cease all forms of  judicial harassment, attacks,  criminalization, and campaigns against women land and human rights defenders;

1. Fulfill the Thai government’s international human rights obligations, particularly the UN General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights Defenders, CEDAW General Recommendations Nos. 33 and 34, the recommendations of ICCPR   and UPR on human rights defenders, land and rural women’s rights. 

For more information please contact

Suluck Lamubol 

fai [at] apwld.org (fai(at)apwld.org)

Pranom Somwong

psomwong [at] protectioninternational.org (psomwong(at)protectioninternational.org  )

Footnotes

[1] The most recent trial is on 25 June 2019, where the Appeals Court reaffirmed the sentence on Thongpum Muangklang (Nittaya’s mother) for 8-month imprisonment and damage compensation fee of 100,000 baht (USD 3,260), Wanchai Arphonkaew for 6-month imprisonment with 860,395 baht (USD 28,050) damage compensation fee, and Samorn Somjit received probation with 366,663 (USD 11,957) baht damage compensation fee.

[2] In August 2018, 14 peasants who are land and human rights defenders from the Ban Sapwai community in Chaiyaphum, were found guilty by Chaiyaphum Provincial Court for 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). 

[3]  Supaporn Srisuk, elder sister of Nittaya Muangklang, received a jail term of five months and ten days, and an increased damage compensation fee from 190,000 baht to 380,000 baht. Sunee Narin, a 74-year-old woman received a jail term of five months and ten days, and increased damage compensation fee from 150,000 baht to 439,027 baht. Pattama Komet received an eight months imprisonment sentence and her damage compensation fee was reduced from 250,000 baht to 200,000 baht. 

[4] https://apwld.org/statement-human-rights-groups-urge-thai-government-to-release-nittaya-muangklang-women-human-rights-defenders-working-on-land-rights-issues/

[5]  https://prachatai.com/journal/2019/03/81398

[6] https://themomentum.co/reforestation-authoritarianism/

List of Signatories

Organisations:

1. เครือข่าย We Fair เครือข่ายรัฐสวัสดิการ เพื่อความเท่าเทียมและเป็นธรรม -Thailand

1. ที่ปรึกษาจัดตั้งแรงงานข้ามชาติ มูลนิธิเพื่อสิทธิเพื่อการพัฒนา -Thailand

1. ภาควิชาสตรีศึกษา คณะสังคมศาสตร์  -Thailand

1.  มูลนิธิชุมชนท้องถิ่นพัฒนา -Thailand

1.  มูลนิธิพัฒนาภาคเหนือ(มพน.) -Thailand

1. มูลนิธิเอ็มพาวเวอร์ -Thailand

1. ศูนย์เผยแพร่และส่งเสริมงานพัฒนา (ผสพ.) -Thailand

1.  สถาบันสร้างเสริมการจัดการทรัพยากรชุมชน -Thailand

1.  สหกรณ์เกษตรอินทรีย์ จำกัด -Thailand

1.  เอ็มพาวเวอร์ – Thailand

1. Rainbow Dream Group จ.เชียงใหม่  – Thailand

1. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Thailand 

1. Community Resource Centre (CRC) – Thailand

1. Focus on the Global South – Thailand

1. Green South Foundation – Thailand

1. International Accountability Project – Thailand

1. Manushya Foundation – Thailand

1. Protection International (PI) – Thailand

1. Shan Women’s Action Network – Thailand

1. Sustainable Development Foundation – Thailand

1. WeMove – Thailand

1. Women’s Studies Center – Thailand

1. Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT) – Thailand

1. ACLU – United States

1. Adivasi Navjeewan Gathan Navjyoti Agua(ANGNA) – India

1. Adivasi Women’s Network India

1. African Coalition on Green Growth Uganda

1. AFT United States

1. Aksi! for gender, social and ecological justice Indonesia

1. Alliance for Future Generations – Fiji

1. ALTSEAN – Myanmar

1. API Kartini –  Indonesia

1.  Arab watch coalition – MENA

1. Asia Dalit Rights Forum  Nepal 

1. Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development

1. Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants – Hong Kong

1. Association For Promotion on Sustainable development – India

1. Association for the Rights of Children in Southeast Asia (ARCSEA) – Philippines

1. Aube Nouvelle pour la Femme et le Développement (ANFD) – DR.Congo

1. Awaj Foundation – Bangladesh

1. AwazCDS – Pakistan

1. Bangladesh Indigenous Women’s Network – Bangladesh

1. Beyond Beijing Committee – Nepal

1. BirthStrike – United Kingdom

1. Borok Peoples’ Human Rights Organisation (BPHRO)

1. BPW – Nepal 

1. BPW Sao Paulo – Brazil 

1. Breaklight Counseling – United States

1. Bridges across borders – Estados Unidos

1. Business and Professional Women – United Kingdom

1. Cambodian Youth Network (CYN) – Cambodia

1. Camino Común Solidarity International – United States

1. Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) – United Kingdom 

1. Carbone Guinée – Guinea

1.  Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) – United States

1. Center for Sustainable Community Development (SCODE) – Vietnam

1. Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) – Philippines

1. Center for Women’s Resources – Philippines

1. Centre for Sustainable Development in mountainous areas – Vietnam

1. Civic Union Public Association – Kyrgyz Republic

1. CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network) – Bangladesh

1. Coalition of Services of the Elderly, Inc. – Philippines 

1. Community Alliance for Global Justice – United States

1. Community Care for Emergency Response and Rehabilitation- Bangladesh

1. CNS and Asha Parivar – India

1. Coalition of Services of the Elderly, Inc. – Philippines

1. Community Alliance for Global Justice – United States

1. Community Care for Emergency Response and Rehabilitation – Myanmar

1. Community Science Centre, Vadodara – India

1. Community volunteer – Cambodia

1. Cordillera Women’s Education Action Research Center (CWEARC) – Philippines

1. Corner House – United Kingdom

1. Cross Roads – United States

1. Decolonising Our Minds – United Kingdom

1. DPAC – United Kingdom

1. Dristi Nepal – NEPAL

1. EarthRights International – United States

1. Education as a Vaccine – Nigeria

1. Emmaus International Trust – Zimbabwe

1. EMPOWER INDIA – India

1. Extinction Rebellion – UK

1. Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre  – Fiji

1. FOKUS-Forum for Women and Development – Norway

1. Football Against Apartheid – United kingdom

1. FOREM – Kenya

1. Forest Peoples Programme – United Kingdom

1. FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN – THAILAND

1. FRIDA the Young Feminist Fund – Global

1. Friends with Environment in Development (FED) – Uganda

1. Fuel Poverty Action – United Kingdom

1. Gatef organization – Egypt

1. Gender Academy – Myanmar

1. Gender and Development for Cambodia (GADC) – Cambodia

1. Global Women’s Strike – United States

1. Global Women’s Strike – United Kingdom

1. Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS) – India

1. Granny Peace Brigade – United States

1. Green Advocates International (Liberia) – Liberia

1. Green Party – United Kingdom

1. Grupo de Educación Popular con Mujeres, A.C. – Mexico

1. Guyana Book Foundation – Guyana

1. Haiti Action Committee – USA

1. Hands Off Our Homes Leeds – United Kingdom

1. IDEA – Cambodia

1. Indonesia Women’s Coalition – Indonesia

1. Innabuyog – Philippines

1. International Federation of Business and Professional Women – Switzerland

1. International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific – Malaysia

1. IWGIA – Denmark

1. JAGO NARI  – Bangladesh

1. Jamaa Resource Initiatives – Kenya

1. Judith Trust – United Kingdom

1. Karapatan – Philippines

1. Kashmir Women’s collective – India

1. Kelompok Studi dan Pengembangan Prakarsa Masyarakat (KSPPM) – Indonesia

1. Khpal Kore Organization – Pakistan

1. Ladlad Caraga Incorporated – Philippines

1. LAGAI — Queer Insurrection –  United States

1. Lancaster Chapel – United States

1. Left Unity – United Kingdom

1. Legal Action for Women – United Kingdom

1. Love Alive – United States

1. LVC – United Kingdom

1. Malaysians Against Death Penalty & Torture (MADPET) – Malaysia

1. Manabadhikar  Shangskriti Foundation (MSF) – Bangladesh

1. MARUAH – Singapore

1. Murna foundation – Nigeria

1. National Alliance of Women Human Rights Defenders (NAWHRD) – Nepal

1. National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights – India

1. National Fisheries Solidarity Movement – Sri Lanka

1. NATIONAL FORUM OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES – Pakistan

1. National Health Service – United Kingdom

1. National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN) – Nepal

1. National Indigenous Women Forum – Nepal

1. National Indigenous Women’s Federation (NIWF) – Nepal

1. National Network of Young Indigenous Women – Nepal

1. Nepal Disabled Women Association  Nepal

1. NGO “Otifa”- Tajikistan

1. NGO Forum on ADB – Philippines

1. NIjera Kori  – Bangladesh

1. North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) – India

1. Northern Forests  Defense / İstanbul Urban Defence – Turkey

1. Not1More – United States

1. NQBSS Livestock Breeders – Zimbabwe

1. NUPL  – Philippines

1. Offside Books – United Kingdom

1. Organized Centre for Empowerment and Advocacy in Nigeria(OCEAN) – Nigeria

1. OT Watch – Mongolia

1. OWRPO PU – Azerbaijan

1. PA Women’s organisation Alga – Kyrgyzstan

1. Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum – Pakistan

1. Palangkaraya Ecological and Human Rights Studies (PROGRESS) – Indonesia

1. PANG – Fiji

1. Pas d’organisation – Sénégal

1. Payday men’s network- United States

1. Payday men’s network / Refusing to Kill Initiative – United Kingdom

1. Peace in Kurdistan Campaign – United Kingdom

1. PEREMPUAN AMAN – Indonesia

1. Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER) – Malaysia

1. Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples Rights (TFIP) – Philippines

1. Physicians for Social Responsibility Philadelphia – United States

1. Plateforme Femmes, Développement Durable et Sécurité Alimentaire – Comores

1. Poor People’s Campaign – United States 

1. Psychological Responsiveness NGO – Mongolia

1. Public Foundation “Development of Civil Society”- Kazakhstan

1. Radha Paudel Foundation – Nepal

1. RADP  – Nepal

1. Raging Grannies & Women in Media & Entertainment – Ireland

1. Rainforest Action Network – United States

1. Ranao Women and Children Resource Center, Inc. (RWCRC)   – Philippines

1. Rapad Maroc – Morocco

1. Reclaim the Power – United Kingdom

1. Red Thread – Guyana

1. Redgreen Labour – United Kingdom

1. Regional Center for International Development Corporation (RCIDC) – Uganda

1. Regions Refocus – United States

1. REPEM – Colombia

1. RITES Forum – India

1. Roots for Equity – PAKISTAN

1. Roshni Tariqiyati Tanzeem Ghotki – Pakistan

1. Rutgers University – USA

1. Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia – United States

1. Shelter Participatory Organization (SPO)  – Pakistan

1. SILAKA – CAMBODIA

1. Single Mothers’ Self-Defence – United Kingdom

1. Socialist resistance – United Kingdom

1. Society for Rural Education and Development.  – India.

1. South Central Farm Restoration Committee  – United States

1. Southern Africa Climate Change Coalition – Botswana

1. Special Talent Exchange Program – Pakistan

1. SRS Livestock Development Foundation – Zimbabwe

1. Stuttgart – Australia

1. Success Capital Organisation – Botswana

1. Tarangini Foundation – Nepal

1. The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) – Mexico

1. The Federation of Business and Professional Women New Zealand – New Zealand

1. The Men’s Resource Center – United States

1. Topanga Peace Alliance; MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles – United States

1. UNITE – United Kingdom

1. Vision GRAM-INTERNATIONAL – Canada

1. Volunteer Action for Peace – United Kingdom

1. WALHI (THE INDONESIAN FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT) – Indonesia

1. WALHI Jatim – Indonesia

1. War Against Rape (WAR) – Pakistan

1. We Women Lanka – Sri Lanka

1. WeGovern Institute – Philippines

1. WILPF – United States

1. WINS   – India

1. Winvisible  – United Kingdom

1. Witnessradio.org – Uganda

1. Women Educators Association of Nigeria – Nigeria

1. Women for Justice and Peace in Sri Lanka – United Kingdom

1. Women Forum For Women In Nepal (WOFOWON) – Nepal

1. Women Network for Energy and Environment(WoNEE) – Nepal

1. Women of Colour Global Women’s Strike – United Kingdom

1. Women of Courage Program of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) – Philippines

1. Women Working Group ( WWG) – Indonesia

1. Women’s Fund Asia – Nepal

1. Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights – Philippines

1. Women’s Global Strike – United Kingdom

1. Women’s Major Group – United States

1. WRM   – Uruguay

1. Yayasan Perlindungan Insani Indonesia – Indonesia

1. Youth For Environment Education And Development Foundation (YFEED Foundation) – Nepal

1. Zimbabwe Climate Change Coalition – Zimbabwe

1. Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau – Zimbabwe

Individuals

1. Chann Somnang – Cambodia

1. Sunita Kotnala – India

1. Govind kelkar – India

1. Miguel Lopes – Portugal

1. Ogo – Portugal

1. Diana Riddle – United States

1. Dr Janna Graham – United Kingdom

1. Nicole Rinier – United States 

1. Elizabeth Thipphawong – Lao PDR

1. J. Billy – United Kingdom

1. Rowan Mace – United Kingdom

1. Sophia Vassilakidis – United States

1. Barbara Rath – United States

1. Shiyani Douglas – Sri Lanka

1. Maggie Ronayne – Ireland

1. Martha-Luise Scholz – United Kingdom

1. Emily Burnham – United Kingdom

1. Nicolette king – United Kingdom

1. Jacey Turner – Wales

1. Jane Belli – United Kingdom

1. Paul Barbara – United Kingdom

1. Fran Brackley – United Kingdom

1. Maria Marasigan – United States 

1. Paul Gouge – United Kingdom

1. Anne Turner – Wales

1. Dominique Simpson – United Kingdom

1. Heath Key – United Kingdom

1. Iam lewis – United States

1. Naomi – United Kingdom

1. Shauna Gundersom – United States

1. Stephanie mathivet – United Kingdom

1. Umut Erel – United Kingdom

1. Joan Landes – United States

1. Jacqueline Mulhallen – United Kingdom

1. Juliette de la Mer – Ireland

1. Dr. Nancy Holmstorm – United States

1. Mo Manklang – United States

1. Nora Roman – United States

1. Alicia Logan – United Kingdom

1. Prof. Felix Padel – United Kingdom

1. Bridget Anderson – United Kingdom 

1. Alice Rossetti – United Kingdom

1. Marie Joyce Godio – Philippines

1. Anang – Philippines 

1. Ava Farrington – Ireland 

1. Georgia Anderson – United Kingdom

1. Rita Addessa – United States

1. Carla willard – United States

1. Natalie Bennett – United Kingdom

1. Martha-Luise Scholz – United Kingdom