Heritage site or home? Indigenous Thais fight for right to forest
Hundreds of indigenous Karen people in Thailand face evictions from a national park that authorities wish to turn into a World Heritage Site, joining millions in a similarly precarious situation as authorities worldwide push tough conservation laws.
The Kaeng Krachan is Thailand’s biggest national park, sprawled over more than 2,900 square kilometres on the border with neighbouring Myanmar.
Renowned for its diverse wildlife, it is also home to about 30 communities of ethnic Karen people, who have traditionally lived and farmed there — and is on a tentative list of world heritage sites.
