The statement of Chana Rakthin Network (No.2)

As the government ordered the police to crack down on our peaceful gathering on the night of December 6, 2021, the police troop arrested, detained, and charged all 37 of us. It took place without any due consideration for our concerns or righteous indignation. It holds true to prove that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is indifferent concerning ordinary people like us.

We are here today in front of the Government House to declare that we will not leave until all of our demands are met. We are prepared to fight until we accept all of the agreements made by the government with us last year.

Despite the fact that we were released on December 7, 2021 with the condition that we not continue to resist. The government has threatened to remove the condition and arrest us again if we do so. This is clearly a violent violation of the people’s fundamental rights. We travel away from home to protest the government’s irresponsibility regarding the agreements reached at the end of last year. We have legitimate rights to protest that are enshrined in the Constitution. At the same time, we exercise our right to express our concerns and challenges on the ground in order to remind the government and inform the general public.

We will now sit in front of the United Nations (UN-ESCAP) for the following fundamental reasons:

1. We will continue to protest peacefully so that the police do not get an excuse to crack down on us.

2. We want to use an open space in front of the United Nations (UN-ESCAP) to publicly communicate with society both inside and outside Thailand to fully comprehend further about our environmental rights.

3. To assemble a larger gathering that includes our community members from the area as well as members from various groups in the south and other regions.

Chana Rakthin Network would like to reiterate our ambition for a genuine commitment from the government on the MoU signed with us on December 14, 2020. We have no intention of causing chaos as the government attempts to publicise itself.

Last but not least, we would like to reiterate our demands:

1) The government should investigate the Chana industrial estate project due to the irregularities that have occurred. Public participation, land surveying policy, land buying fraud, and SBPAC spending must all be examined as part of the project’s examination from inception to current implementation. The investigation process must incorporate accountability, reliability, and public participation. The examination results must be made public as soon as possible after the investigation is completed.

2) Participatory strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a government effort to involve all stakeholders in the process. The SBPAC should not have authority over the SEA Committee.

3) While actions 1 and 2 are being carried out, the government should halt the ill-advised industrial estate project in the Chana district.

4) Government officials must end the prosecution of the 37 of us who were arrested on December 6, 2021.

From today on, we will peacefully sit-in at the front of the United Nations (UN-ESCAP) and await the government’s response. We will return to Government House on December 13, 2021, along with our brothers and sisters from other networks who joined us on December 12. Those who wish to support our calls are welcome to attend on the day.

-The announcement made at the Government House on December 8, 2021-