PM: Government won’t use force in Bang Kloi
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday said his administration won’t use force against ethnic Karen villagers living in Phetchaburi’s Kaeng Krachan National Park as past governments did.
Instead, this government will take care of those living in Bang Kloi by ensuring they have proper jobs and a place to live, he said.
The promise was made after local groups in Phetchaburi threatened to hold a rally outside Government House if the government fails to take decisive action against Karen villagers whom they said were destroying the forest.
“We are not going to let anyone destroy Kaeng Krachan’s forests anymore. If the PM refuses to take action against the villagers, Phetchaburi residents will have no choice but to demand negotiations with the prime minister,” said Sumol Sutaviriyawat, president of an environmental conservation club in Phetchaburi.
MONGKOL BANGPRAPA
