ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL Distr.
COUNCIL GENERAL
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
12 May 1992
Original: ENGLISH
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Sub-Commission on Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection
of Minorities
Working Group on Indigenous Populations
Tenth session
20-31 July 1992
Item 5 of the provisional agenda
REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS PERTAINING TO THE PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS OF INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS, INCLUDING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND STATES
Note by the Secretary-General
Information received from Governments
1. By its resolution 1982/34 of 7 May 1982, the Economic and Social Council authorized the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to establish annually a working group on indigenous populations to review developments pertaining to the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous populations, including information requested by the Secretary-General annually, and to give special attention to the evolution of standards concerning the rights of indigenous populations.
2. The Sub-Commission, in its resolution 1991/30 of 29
August 1991, requested the Secretary-General to transmit the
report of the Working Group on its ninth session
(E/CN.4/Sub.2/1991/40/Rev.1) to Governments for specific
comments and suggestions for the completion of the first
reading of the text of the draft declaration on the rights
of indigenous peoples (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1991/40/Rev.1, annex II)
and the beginning of the second reading at the tenth
session. The Commission on Human Rights endorsed this
request in its resolution 1992/44 of 3 March 1992. In
accordance with these resolutions, appropriate
communications were sent to Governments. The present
document contains replies received as of 12 May 1992.
Further replies, if any, will be included in addenda to this
document.
[12 November 1992]
[Original: English]
* Information contained herein was furnished by the Department of Public Welfare and the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior of Thailand.
1. One of the great sources of pride of the Thai people is their rich and diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. The hill-tribes of Thailand and their distinct lifestyles are part of this colourful heritage. These tribes are among the many ethnic groups that constitute Thai society. They are not considered to be minorities nor indigenous people but as Thais who are able to enjoy fundamental rights and are protected by the laws of the Kingdom as any other Thai citizen.
2. According to a recent survey, there are some 500,000 hill-tribesmen in Thailand belonging to nine different hill- tribes, namely the Hmong, Yao, Lisu, Akha, Lahu, Karen, Khamu, H'Tin and the Luha, each tribe having inherited its own distinct language, customs, norms, traditions and lifestyle.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4 page 3
3. The hill-tribes of Thailand can be found in the remote areas of the northern, central and southern regions of Thailand, spread out over 20 provinces. Because of the lack of contact with the outside world, some of these hill-tribes have, in the past, engaged in certain practices, for instance shifting agriculture and opium cultivation, unconscious of and unable to comprehend the environmental and social repercussions of their livelihood. Moreover, because a majority of the hill-tribe people are illiterate and lack the necessary knowledge either to earn a decent income or to look after the sanitary conditions of their own community, they often live in conditions of poverty, poor health and malnutrition.
4. In 1959, the National Committee on Hill-Tribes was established to formulate and review national policies to address the welfare and development needs of the hill- tribes. The policies and government activities that have been launched since have been oriented towards improving the quality of life of the hill-tribes based on their self- reliance and encouraging them to become productive and responsible Thai citizens, while at the same time enabling them to maintain their cultural identity in a modernizing world. These policies were also aimed at finding an alternative means of livelihood for the hill-tribes in order to end their unconscious destruction of the ecological and social environment. Regional, provincial and district committees have also been created to support and complement national policies in this regard.
5. The objectives of hill-tribe welfare and development
policies of the Royal Thai Government include, inter alia,
the following:
(a) Allocation of land for settlement and agriculture
to the hill-tribes in order to secure their permanent
settlement in fertile areas:
(b) Organization of the administrative structure of the
hill-tribe communities, in order to promote their self-
administration as well as their awareness of and
participation in the affairs of the Kingdom
(c) Introduction of economic and social development
that are geared towards the conservation of natural
resources into the region where the hill-tribes live, in
order to enable them to benefit from and to promote their
appreciation of their natural and social environment;
(d) Enforcement of law and order.
6. Hill-tribe development projects which have been launched as a result of the hill-tribe welfare and development policies are comprehensive in scope and includes occupational and social development.
7. Occupational development programmes undertaken by the Department of Public Welfare are aimed at promoting the application of modern agricultural techniques by the hill- tribes, such as the cultivation of high-yield cash-crops based on crop rotation methods, for immediate consumption and income generating purposes.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4 page 4
8. Social development programmes have been undertaken by the Department of Public Welfare in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health, and include the provision of education, medical programmes and primary health care, family-planning services, sanitation and water supply programmes, and social development training in such areas as public health care, village development, farming, etc.
9. Furthermore, special projects to benefit the hill- tribes have also been launched, some of which are under royal patronage, and others being undertaken in cooperation with other friendly Governments. These projects include: The Royal Initiation Projects, the Thai-Australian Highland Development Projects, the Thai-Norway Highland Development Project, the Thai-German Highland Development Project.
10. As a result of the above-mentioned policies of the Royal Thai Government, the well-being of the hill-tribes in Thailand has improved to the point where they stand a better chance not only to preserve and develop their own culture but also to contribute towards the development of the Kingdom.
11. Hill-tribes in Thailand have become more conscious of the need to preserve the environment and have shifted away from destructive methods of agriculture towards those that are more permanent and environmentally sound.
12. Hill-tribes have been able to earn a higher income through the introduction of high-yield cash-crop cultivation which has superseded the traditional cultivation of opium.
13. An increasing number of hill-tribesmen are benefiting from their access to educational facilities and enjoy a healthier life.
14. Hill-tribes are beginning to learn modern ways of managing the affairs of their community and have become more knowledgeable of the affairs of the Kingdom.
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Our Rebuttal To The Above Can be read in our annotated
version below:
* Information contained herein was furnished by the
Department of Public Welfare and the Office of the Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Interior of Thailand.
1. One of the great sources of pride of the Thai people is
their rich and diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. The
hill-tribes of Thailand and their distinct lifestyles are
part of this colourful heritage. These tribes are among the
many ethnic groups that constitute Thai society. They are
not considered to be minorities nor indigenous people but as
Thais who are able to enjoy fundamental rights and are
protected by the laws of the Kingdom as any other Thai
citizen. (This is especially untrue! Akha's for example, are issued
many different types of ID cards, very few of which give them rights of
much at all except to pass through police checks on the busses and roads,
or to get into the hospital. It will not get them better treatment once
there. My observations of the treatment of Thai Akha with ID cards is that
they are treatedly blatantly rudely, roughly and in a disregarding fashion
as a rule, as in "Why don't you people just go away!" The Akha do very
hard
farming work and jungle collections in the mountains. Very few Thais, let
alone western people, could keep up with one day of their mountainside
farming work. Hence they always look rough, beaten around a little,
diheveled and a little dirty, that is what they work with. A woman
coming in off the mountain injured while working and dirty might cause
someone who knows no better to say she has an accumulation of ten years
dirt
because you know the Akha never bathe. This sort of thing. The view of
Christian Thais is often worse, adding all of their religious predjudices
as well.)
To say the Akha, (I don't have experience with the other tribes adjacent
personally), but to say that the Akha are seen as Thais, have all the
priveledges of such is a rediculously untrue statement. Furthermore, the
pride that the Thais show in these colorful and proud people is made up of
giving erroneous and belittling information to the tourists whom they make
good money off of, taking them to "The Akha Monkey Show" as we call the
process here. The Akhas become agitated and grasping, getting none or
little of the money themselves, and this just adds ammo to the "see how
they are!" crowd. You can witness this event at Doi Tung in Chiangrai
Province or at Doi Mae Salong as well. I am sure there are scores of other
locations.)
2. According to a recent survey, there are some 500,000
hill-tribesmen in Thailand belonging to nine different hill-
tribes, namely the Hmong, Yao, Lisu, Akha, Lahu, Karen,
Khamu, H'Tin and the Luha, each tribe having inherited its
own distinct language, customs, norms, traditions and
lifestyle.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
page 3
3. The hill-tribes of Thailand can be found in the remote
areas of the northern, central and southern regions of
Thailand, spread out over 20 provinces. Because of the lack
of contact with the outside world, some of these hill-tribes
have, in the past, engaged in certain practices, for
instance shifting agriculture and opium cultivation,
unconscious of and unable to comprehend (from what I can tell, I have
never met an Akha who was unable to comprehend anything, once it was
explained to them sufficiently in a language they knew) the environmental
and social repercussions of their livelihood. Moreover,
because a majority of the hill-tribe people are illiterate
and lack the necessary knowledge either to earn a decent
income or to look after the sanitary conditions of their own
community, they often live in conditions of poverty, poor
health and malnutrition. (poverty is not a law among the Akha
who have not lost their land to Thais and the army. Although definitely
not an econmy that can support much consumption on a western or Thai scale,
most of them got by in the past. This is changing now with greater
enchroachments. The sanitary conditions of almost all Akha villages are
much higher than what can be found in any Thai klong or roadside, it should
be noted. If malnutrition was so bad until recent changes how did they
make it for hundreds of years?)
4. In 1959, the National Committee on Hill-Tribes was
established to formulate and review national policies to
address the welfare and development needs of the hill-
tribes. The policies and government activities that have
been launched since have been oriented towards improving the
quality of life of the hill-tribes based on their self-
reliance and encouraging them to become productive and
responsible Thai citizens, while at the same time enabling
them to maintain their cultural identity in a modernizing
world. These policies were also aimed at finding an
alternative means of livelihood for the hill-tribes in order
to end their unconscious destruction of the ecological and
social environment.(!!!???) (Once again a falsification. How
many acres of jungle can one village farm? Who is planting sugar pine and
asking the Akha to move so they can plant more, build more roads, bringing
in
more tourists and trash? Certainly not the Akha. Who runs much of their
roadside stands for cooking on charcoal? Where must this charcoal come
from? Who gathers it? What social destruction? Lack of identity cards,
land ownership rights, prostitutin greatly sustained by Thai brokers have
all much to do with this.) Regional, provincial and district
committees have also been created to support and complement
national policies in this regard. (Such as the Thai national policy to
move all Akha down out of the mountains which is going on now and to take
the mountains back for the Thai race. This is going on now and I have
witnessed and documented it myself over the last six years despite what
Thais might claim to the contrary. It is the constant false assertations
that the Thais use to justify their actions and cover the injustice of it
that one might find disturbing.)
5. The objectives of hill-tribe welfare and development
policies of the Royal Thai Government include, inter alia,
the following:
6. Hill-tribe development projects which have been
launched as a result of the hill-tribe welfare and
development policies are comprehensive in scope and includes
occupational and social development.
7. Occupational development programmes undertaken by the
Department of Public Welfare are aimed at promoting the
application of modern agricultural techniques by the hill-
tribes, such as the cultivation of high-yield cash-crops
based on crop rotation methods, for immediate consumption
and income generating purposes. (and wide use of poorly supervised
toxic chemicals)
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
page 4
8. Social development programmes have been undertaken by
the Department of Public Welfare in collaboration with the
Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health, and
include the provision of education, medical programmes and
primary health care, family-planning services, (sterilizations)
sanitation
and water supply programmes, and social development training
in such areas as public health care, village development,
farming, etc.
9. Furthermore, special projects to benefit the hill-
tribes have also been launched, some of which are under
royal patronage, and others being undertaken in cooperation
with other friendly Governments. These projects include: The
Royal Initiation Projects, the Thai-Australian Highland
Development Projects, the Thai-Norway Highland Development
Project, the Thai-German Highland Development Project.
10. As a result of the above-mentioned policies of the
Royal Thai Government, the well-being of the hill-tribes in
Thailand has improved to the point where they stand a better
chance not only to preserve and develop their own culture (with no
village?)
but also to contribute towards the development of the
Kingdom.
11. Hill-tribes in Thailand have become more conscious of
the need to preserve the environment and have shifted away
from destructive methods of agriculture towards those that
are more permanent and environmentally sound. (as in getting the Akha
to wack down the dense jungle to plant sugar pine)
12. Hill-tribes have been able to earn a higher income
through the introduction of high-yield cash-crop cultivation
which has superseded the traditional cultivation of opium.
13. An increasing number of hill-tribesmen are benefiting
from their access to educational facilities and enjoy a
healthier life.
14. Hill-tribes are beginning to learn modern ways of
managing the affairs of their community and have become more
knowledgeable of the affairs of the Kingdom.
It should be said that the Government of Thailand has and does do a lot for
the hill tribes. But often it is misguided or self serving, and without
basic rights like ID cards at birth, and the right to own land, the rest
becomes laughable and the end result is what we have now, the increased
marginalization of the Akha. Anyone is welcome to come here to study this
event and verify for themselves the conditions, treatment and decline of
the Akha as a result of Thai Government Policies, not inspite of them.
Matthew McDaniel
Money can be sent to:
Via Money Wire:
Matthew Duncan McDaniel
Via International Bank Draft
via the post office registered mail:
Matthew McDaniel
Copyright 1997 - 1998 © by the Akha Heritage Foundation
P.O. Box 2574
Olympia, WA U.S.A.
98507-2574
OCR Provided by Caere Corporation's OmniPage Professional
THAILAND*
HILL-TRIBE WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
BACKGROUND
GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TO ASSIST THE HILL-TRIBES
(a) Allocation of land for settlement and agriculture
to the hill-tribes in order to secure their permanent settlement in
fertile areas. (Read: forced resettlement out of the mountains onto hut
plots, as in forced urbanization. Anyone free to come here and verify
this.)
(b) Organization of the administrative structure of the
hill-tribe communities, in order to promote their self-
administration as well as their awareness of and
participation in the affairs of the Kingdom
(c) Introduction of economic and social development
that are geared towards the conservation of natural
resources into the region where the hill-tribes live, in
order to enable them to benefit from and to promote their
appreciation of their natural and social environment;
(d) Enforcement of law and order.
RESULTS OF HILL-TRIBE WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
The Akha Heritage Foundation
Akha University - Maesai
386/3 Sailom Joi Rd
Maesai, Chiangrai, Thailand
57130
E-Mail akha@loxinfo.co.th
Acc.# 3980240778
Bangkok Bank Ltd.
Maesai Branch
Thailand
386/3 Sailom Joi Rd.
Maesai, Chiangrai, Thailand
57130
Index: