Akha Human Rights Thailand

A PETITION
JULY 1, 2001
To:
The Government of Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand
The Prime Minister of Thailand

Dear Government Official and Prime Minister:

On behalf of the Akha Hill Tribe in Thailand we ask that the free style religious proselytizing of western missionaries in Akha villages be STOPPED! It is divisive and destructive to this unique culture and people in Thailand who should be free to be who they are without outside harassment and exploitation, AKHA.

The churches imposed high in the villages, the local disputes, they are not small things, they are common and you know about them. ACT NOW!

We asked that the removal of thousands of Akha children from their villages and parents under the guise that they will have a better life elsewhere at mission boarding schools be investigated and stopped. It is exploitation of both children and unknowing donors. The practice borders on genocide as laid out in the Geneva convention on Genocide Article 5.

We ask specifically that the efforts of the Thai Forestry Department, PTT and PDA to confiscate Akha Rice lands and plant it with non native specie PINE TREES be investigated and STOPPED.

The Akha people have been an exotic tourist destination for at least two decades for Thailand. Many handicrafts, photography items and art works have been created by Thais around these people and sold for profit. Trekking to Akha villagers has made enormous profits for Tour Companies. Therefore Thai society has a significant sector of their tourism industry built around these people. Regardless that the Akha may receive very little of these moneys, which we understand to be the case, the fact remains that they ARE AN ASSET TO THAILAND.

The Akha also provide a significant labor supply to Thai society, doing many jobs that Thais would prefer not to do.

Thailand is known as the land of Smile. A pleasant destination with high standards of hospitality.

Yet the double standard and poor treatment of the Akha Hill Tribe for so many years now, particular concerning Human Rights issues such as rice growing lands, is likely to enforce the perception of Thailand as having a Jekyl and Hyde personality. Further more, the planting of PINE shows that the government of Thailand is NOT managing the environment better than the Hill Tribe Peoples.

We DEMAND that you take this into consideration and PROMPTLY investigate these matters.

If it is NOT addressed, if PROTECTIONS for the AKHA are not QUICKLY put in place, and the offenders REMOVED, we will take this appeal both to the WORLD COURT and the UN Commission on Human Rights at Geneva.

Sincerely,

The undersigned.