Kaeng Krachan: Karen evictions and the disappearance of Billy
- Government and regulators Thai state (as described in a secondary summary): State discourse attributes deforestation to rotational farming.
- Researchers Studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai (as reported in a secondary summary): Found the fallow system stores carbon and preserves agrobiodiversity, covering 207 food plants, with about 80% of the forest regrowing in 30 years.
Park officials burned Karen homes at Bang Kloi inside Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park in 2011. Karen rights defender Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen disappeared in 2014 after detention by park officials, and the park was listed as a World Heritage site in 2021.
For failing to report the detention; an appeal in the criminal case was pending as of April 2025.
Status As of April 2025 (latest dated source): an appeal in the criminal case over Billy's disappearance was pending, and the family's 44 million baht civil suit was suspended pending that appeal.
- Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn — Was director of the national parks department when convicted in 2023 of failing to report the detention; acquitted of murder. Radio Free Asia
- Thailand (state party to the listing) — Inscription of the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex on the World Heritage list on 26 July 2021. Thai PBS World
- Karen villagers of Bang Kloi — Homes and rice barns burned in 2011; courts did not allow a return to the land. Forest Peoples Programme
- Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen — Detained on 17 April 2014 and not seen again; bones found in 2019 matched his DNA. Human Rights Watch
- 28 Karen villagers — Charged in 2021 after attempting to return to their ancestral land. Prachatai English
What happened
Kaeng Krachan National Park, on Thailand's border with Myanmar, was established in 1981. S'gaw Karen people had lived on the land for generations before it and practised rotational farming, in which a field is cultivated for a few years and then left fallow for years so that forest can return. Karen villagers were forcibly removed from ancestral land in 1997 and 2011. In 2011 park officials burned Karen homes and rice barns at Bang Kloi, in an operation led by the then park chief, Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn. One source reports homes of more than 20 families burned; others report about 90 to 100 houses and rice barns.
In September 2016 an administrative court held the burning lawful and denied the villagers a return, awarding six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each (about US$287) against a claim of 100,000 baht, according to Forest Peoples Programme. In 2018 the Supreme Administrative Court reportedly held that officials had acted disproportionately and increased the compensation, but again did not allow return.
Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen, a Karen land-rights defender, had helped organise the villagers' case and was due to testify in May 2014. On 17 April 2014 he was detained at a park checkpoint for allegedly carrying wild honey. Officials said they released him; there is no record of a release, and the case files he carried were never found. In September 2019 the Department of Special Investigation found bone fragments in a submerged oil tank in the park's reservoir; DNA matched his mother's.
On 28 September 2023 a court acquitted Chaiwat of murder and sentenced him to three years in prison for failing to report the detention (Section 157). He was released on bail of 800,000 baht. Three subordinate officials were acquitted. An appeal in the criminal case was pending as of April 2025. The family filed a civil suit for 44 million baht in April 2024; it was suspended in February 2025 until the criminal appeal concludes.
In 2021 Karen villagers tried to return to ancestral land; more than 80 people were arrested and 28, including seven women and a child, were charged. On 23 July 2021 UN independent experts asked UNESCO to defer the park's World Heritage nomination, and IUCN had recommended against approval until the concerns were addressed. The World Heritage Committee listed the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex on 26 July 2021, after not approving earlier applications.
- 1981Kaeng Krachan National Park established
- 1997Karen villagers forcibly removed from ancestral land
- 2011Park officials burn Karen homes and rice barns at Bang Kloi
- 201417 Apr: Billy detained at a park checkpoint and not seen again
- 2016Sep: administrative court holds the burning lawful and denies return; 10,000 baht each to six plaintiffs
- 2018Supreme Administrative Court reportedly finds officials acted disproportionately; compensation increased; return denied
- 2019Sep: bone fragments found in a submerged oil tank in the park's reservoir; DNA match
- 2021Karen villagers arrested after trying to return; 23 Jul UN experts ask UNESCO to defer; 26 Jul World Heritage listing
- 202328 Sep: former park chief acquitted of murder, sentenced to three years for failing to report the detention
- 2024Apr: family files 44 million baht civil suit
- 2025Feb: civil suit suspended pending the criminal appeal
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Said they released him; no record of the release exists.
Human Rights WatchAcquitted the former park chief of murder; sentenced him to three years for failing to report the detention.
Radio Free AsiaReported that burnt bones found in an oil drum in the park's dam in 2019 were confirmed by DNA to include one belonging to Billy.
Human Rights WatchRecords no evidence of a release; he was not seen again.
Manushya FoundationHeld the burning lawful and denied return; awarded six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each.
Forest Peoples ProgrammeSaid they would appeal the ruling and called for effective redress.
Forest Peoples ProgrammeReported to have held that officials acted disproportionately and increased the compensation, without allowing return.
Asked UNESCO on 23 July 2021 to defer the nomination.
Prachatai EnglishRecommended against approval until concerns about the Karen communities were addressed.
Prachatai EnglishListed the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex on 26 July 2021.
Thai PBS WorldState discourse attributes deforestation to rotational farming.
Found the fallow system stores carbon and preserves agrobiodiversity, covering 207 food plants, with about 80% of the forest regrowing in 30 years.
How it looked
Shown
- The Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list on 26 July 2021UNESCO World Heritage Committee · Thai PBS World
- Rotational farming described as a cause of deforestation.Thai state discourse, as described in a secondary summary
Recorded
- In 2011 park officials burned Karen homes and rice barns at Bang Kloi; one source counts more than 20 families' homes, others about 90 to 100 houses and barns.
- In September 2016 an administrative court held the burning lawful, denied return and awarded six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each.
- Billy was detained on 17 April 2014 at a park checkpoint. Officials said they released him; no record of the release exists.
- Burnt bones found in 2019 in an oil drum in the park's dam were confirmed by DNA to include one bone belonging to Billy.
- On 28 September 2023 the former park chief was acquitted of murder and sentenced to three years for failing to report the detention; he was released on bail of 800,000 baht.
- The family's 44 million baht civil suit, filed in April 2024, was suspended in February 2025 until the criminal appeal concludes.
- More than 80 Karen were arrested in 2021 after trying to return to ancestral land; 28 were charged.
- Supreme Administrative Court, 2018: reported to have held that officials acted disproportionately and to have raised the compensation (about 50,000 baht per claimant in one account); no return to the land.
- UN independent experts (23 July 2021) asked UNESCO to defer the nomination; IUCN had recommended that approval not be given until the concerns were addressed.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- Park officials detaining Billy (the then park chief and four officials) (2014): Said they released Billy after detaining him; no record of the release exists. · Human Rights Watch
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2016-09Defendant wonKaren villagers v park officials over the 2011 burning at Bang Kloi (administrative court)Administrative court · Administrative · Karen villagers of Bang Kloi (six plaintiffs received compensation) → Park officials, including the then park chief
The court held the burning lawful and denied return, but awarded six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each (about US$287) against a claim of 100,000 baht. Forest Peoples Programme
- 2018Claimant wonAppeal in the Bang Kloi burning case (Supreme Administrative Court)Supreme Administrative Court · Appeal · Karen villagers of Bang Kloi → Park officials, including the then park chief
Reported to have held that officials acted disproportionately and to have increased the compensation, without allowing return. The judgment text was not reviewed; the compensation amount is recorded as about 10,000 baht in some sources and about 50,000 baht in others.
- 2023-09-28OngoingProsecution over the disappearance of Porlajee "Billy" RakchongcharoenCourt for corruption cases, Bangkok · Criminal · Prosecution → Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, former Kaeng Krachan park chief, and three subordinate officials
The court acquitted the former park chief of murder and sentenced him to three years in prison for failing to report the detention and hand Billy to police (Section 157); he was released on bail of 800,000 baht. Three subordinates were acquitted. An appeal was pending as of April 2025. Accounts of the reasons differ: one reports that the three subordinates were cleared because they were following orders, another that the murder charge against the four officials was dismissed for insufficient evidence. Radio Free Asia
- 2024-04–OngoingTHB 44000bn Compensation claimedCivil suit by Billy's familyNot stated in the sources · Civil · Billy's family → Not stated in the sources
Filed in April 2024; suspended in February 2025 until the criminal appeal concludes. Manushya Foundation
- 2021–Outcome not on recordCharges against Karen villagers who tried to return to ancestral land (2021)Not stated in the sources · Criminal · State prosecution → 28 Karen villagers, including seven women and a child, charged with encroachment
More than 80 people were arrested in 2021 and 28 were charged; the outcome was not found. Prachatai English
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
- Disputed Is Karen rotational farming a cause of deforestation?
Court
- Unclear Charges against Karen villagers who tried to return to ancestral land (2021): outcome not on record.
Figures
- Insufficient Houses burned: Other sources give about 90 to 100 houses and barns and about 140 people; reported but not independently verified.
- Insufficient Compensation: Supreme Administrative Court, in one account; other sources give about 10,000 baht.
Accounts
Record
- None on record The outcome of the appeal in the criminal case over Billy's disappearance: not found.
- None on record The compensation awarded in 2018: recorded as about 10,000 baht in some sources and about 50,000 baht in others.
- None on record The number of homes burned in 2011: more than 20 families' homes in one source, about 90 to 100 houses and barns in others.
- Insufficient The reasons given for acquitting the three subordinate officials: Radio Free Asia reported that they were following orders, and Manushya Foundation reported that the murder charge against the four officials was dismissed for insufficient evidence.
- None on record The nomination years for earlier World Heritage applications not approved: recorded as 2016 and 2019 in one source and 2017 and 2019 in another, described as rejected in one and deferred in the other.
- Unclear The outcome of the family's 44 million baht civil claim: suspended in February 2025 pending the criminal appeal.
- None on record The wording of the 2018 Supreme Administrative Court ruling: one account says the officials acted disproportionately, another says the burning was held unlawful.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the community's spiritual leader, a claimant aged over 100, died on 5 October 2018 aged 107 without receiving compensation.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the World Heritage Committee decision of July 2021 was by a 12–9 vote.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the former park chief was named head of a newly created wildlife protection unit ('Tiger Unit') in May 2016 while a suspect in the case, as reported by a secondary summary.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai found that the rotational fallow system stores carbon and preserves agrobiodiversity, covering 207 food plants, with about 80% of the forest regrowing in 30 years; a secondary summary also says the UN recognises the practice as protected cultural heritage.
Did the harm stop?
The courts did not allow the villagers to return to the land. In 2021, arrests of villagers who tried to return were reported, and the park was listed as a World Heritage site.
Who paid?
Karen villagers of Bang Kloi, whose homes were burned in 2011 and who were not allowed to return, and a Karen rights defender who disappeared in 2014.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Karen activist case verdict (Radio Free Asia report)Radio Free Asia · 2023-09-28
- Prachatai English report on UN experts' call to defer the Kaeng Krachan nomination and arrests of Karen villagersPrachatai English · 2021-07-23
- Thai PBS World report on the Kaeng Krachan World Heritage listingThai PBS World · 2021-08-04
- Senior Thai national park official, 3 others acquitted in 9-year-old case of missing activistKhaosod English · 2023-09-28
Communities and civil society
- #SaveBangKloi: What happened to Porlajee "Billy" RakchongcharoenManushya Foundation · undated
- Thailand: Karens to appeal court verdict legalizing their forced evictions; indigenous organizations call for effective redressForest Peoples Programme · 2016-09-13
- Thailand: Disappeared activist's remains foundHuman Rights Watch · 2019-09-04
- #SaveBangKloi: 11 years since Billy's disappearanceManushya Foundation · 2025-04-17
Connected cases
- Adviser said UN environment award helped sway UNESCO on Rampal coal plant Bangladesh · 2015–2017
- UNESCO (International body) — here: World Heritage listing, July 2021; there: UN body whose objection to the plant was withdrawn, according to the adviser
- African Parks Odzala-Kokoua abuses (Republic of Congo) Republic of Congo · 2010–2025
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Recommended deferral of World Heritage listing in 2022
- CAMPFIRE and elephant trophy hunting Zimbabwe · 2010–2015
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Policy guidance
- Colossal Biosciences: de-extinction ventures, funding and the Burgum remark United States · 2022–2026
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Its Canid Specialist Group stated the pups are not dire wolves
- Endorois and Lake Bogoria enzyme extraction (Kenya) Kenya · 1970–2026
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Technical evaluator whose recommendation led to the 2011 World Heritage listing
- Half-Earth and 30x30 advocacy funding (Wyss Campaign for Nature) Global · 2016–2026
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Co-author of the Protected Planet Report 2024
- Kiribati opens Phoenix Islands protected area to fishing; trust dissolved Kiribati · 2015–2021
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: reports the area's status in 2025
- Kiribati PIPA opened to fishing Kiribati · 2015–2025
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Assessed the property (World Heritage Outlook)
- Pacific tuna Vessel Day Scheme Pacific Islands (PNA members) · 2010–2025
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Assessor of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area
- Rinca island work in Komodo National Park continued after UNESCO asked for a halt Indonesia · 2020–2021
- UNESCO (International body) — here: World Heritage listing, July 2021; there: asked for construction to stop in October 2020
- Rio Tinto Juukan Gorge destruction Australia · 2020
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Conservation body in a Collaboration Agreement with Rio Tinto (2010)
- UNESCO World Heritage listings and Indigenous rights Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda · 1991–2025
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Technical evaluator for natural sites
- US withdrawal from 66 international bodies and Paris/UNFCCC United States · 2025–2027
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Body the US withdrew from
- Whale oil, kerosene and the 1986 whaling moratorium International · 1859–2022
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed; there: Assessed the humpback whale (2008)