The Appeal Court has sentenced 20 members of the Pakayaw Karen ethnic group to between one and five years’ imprisonment for illegal logging in protected areas.
The Provincial Court of Mae Sariang District in the northern province of Mae Hong Son on Wednesday convicted 20 Pakayaw Karen from Ban Thung Pa Kha, Mae La Noi District, to one to five years in jail for possessing illegal teak wood.
The court did not suspend the jail term and the defendants were taken to Mae Sariang prison after the verdict was read.
Pakayaw Karen villagers await the Appeal Court verdict at Mae Sariang Provincial Court on 22 April 2015
The verdict confirmed the ruling of the Court of First Instance, which in October 2014 sentenced 23 Karen villagers to one to seven years’ imprisonment.
One of the accused was sentenced to 18 months in jail last month and two other defendants died before the verdict of the Court of First Instance was read last year.
All the defendants in October 2014 submitted an appeal against the jail sentence handed down by the Court of First Instance, reasoning that they are poor and that they only cut the logs to construct and repair houses in the community, which is part of the Karen’s traditional livelihood.
The court of appeal on Wednesday, however, said that the quantity of illegal teak found in the possession of the Karen villagers exceeded the amount needed to build and repair houses in the community and sentenced them to prison.
The Appeal Court added that the Karen villagers could have used other types of wood as building material instead of teak, which is protected by law.
In addition to those receiving jail terms, 14 other Karen from the same community were fined between 10,000-20,000 baht (approximately 300-600 USD) under the same charge.
In total, 37 Pakayaw Karen from Ban Thung Pa Kha were charged with cutting and possessing illegal timber.
They were arrested by the military on 4 May 2014 and indicted on 28 August last year by the Mae Sariang District prosecutor for illegal logging in protected areas.