16 The photos of the late human rights defenders Tatkamon Ob-om (left) and Porlajee Billy Rakchongcharoen (right) were exhibited during a ceremony in memory of their fight to protect the rights of indigenous Karen forest dwellers in Kaeng Krachan forest. Photo by Sanitsuda Ekachai
After two decades of hunger and hardship and a life without dignity in a prison-like resettlement village a group of indigenous forest dwellers decided to return to their ancestral home deep in the Kaeng Krachan jungle in Phetchaburi province.
It s about time! The ethnic Karen forest dwellers made their exodus home in mid-January amid a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic. They have no choice. Given the lack of farmland, village lockdowns and a life of near-starvation, the pandemic has made it clear that going home is the only answer for their safety and survival.