Tambon Nong Bua kamnan Sunthorn Buaphetch said most villagers have lived and farmed for generations on the land they inherited from their ancestors. Araya Bualuang, 35, found that her backyard and rubber plantation were outlawed by the park’s new demarcation. She said park officials told her family that they could cut rubber trees and re-plant them as normal because the family had the document. However, she did not understand why park officials would put the new boundary markers on her property. She said she and fellow villagers feared the park would lay claim to the lands and arrest or drive them out.

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 07, 2017 09:22 UTC