The military surrounded a village in southern Thailand and told the landless villagers to leave a disputed area while threatening a villager not to take picture of the event.
According to Protection International (PI), at about 5:30pm on Tuesday Five military men came to Pruemsub Community of Chai Buri District in the southern province of Surat Thani and ordered the landless villagers to leave the area.
The military also reportedly threatened a villager who attempted to take picture of the military operation that he would be arrested and brought to military camp for interrogation if he took pictures of the scene.
The military cited that they have received an urgent order to control the area, which has been disputed between the local villagers and Thai Boonthong, an oil palm company.
The disputed land belongs to the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ARLO), who in 2010 allowed the villagers to settle on the plot since the company’s concession ended 14 years ago. However, the company has not moved out.
In the morning of the same day, Peerat Bunrit, one of the leaders of Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT) from the district, who has been active in promoting the interests of the Chai Buri landless villagers, was brought to the so-called ‘attitude adjustment camp’ at the Vipavadee Rangsit Military Camp in Surat Thani for three days. The military claimed the summon was for the “good environment conducive to returning happiness to the Thai people.”