Uamdao Noikorn

Representatives of forest dwellers nationwide have demanded that Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silpa-archa halt a party plan to table the Community Forest Bill in the June 22 cabinet meeting because it does not represent community views.

They said the essence of the bill, dubbed the Chart Thai version, has been distorted in favour of the government and said it denied communities their basic rights to co-manage natural resources with the state under the new constitution.

A two-day meeting between seven leading local and Bangkok-based conservation groups and villagers in Chiang Mai have found three "mistakes" that would speed up forest destruction to the point of no return if the bill was passed, said Anand Karnchanaphan, a social studies lecturer at Chiang Mai University.

The groups denounced forestry department chief Plodprasop Suraswadi for reserving the right for himself and the agriculture minister to have the final say in determining community forests.

Mr Anand said this went against the principle set forth in the previous version of the bill, brokered by Democrat MP Laddawan Wongsriwong, which decentralised power to forest users.

Mr Anand took part in formulating the widely-accepted version that was put together during the Banharn administration in 1996. The draft consolidated the views of academics, green groups, local communities and government representatives.

The second "mistake" was Article 26 which would downgrade the status of community forests located within conservation forests, including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, to forest reserves within two years of the community forests being established.

Villager representatives said they had learned from past experience that such action would worsen the forest encroachment problem.

Community forestry experts pointed out the article itself was not in line with Article 6.1 in the draft which clearly states the forest is aimed at conservation.

They fear status degradation would enable commercial plantations to find their way into the forests since the activity is allowed in forest reserves.

Chandaeng Polalak, a representative of northeastern villagers, said: "We want the bill that changes a community for the better, that brings back shattered families, not big-scale commerce.

"I admit I don't know much about law but I've seen many villages being wrecked after commercial plantation was introduced by the government to replace natural forests."Their worry about commercial plantation in community forests stemmed from the fact that Article 34 of the Plodprasop draft allows members of community forests to plant commercial species for profits. Mr Chandaeng and his peers from the North and South have made it clear they want the Laddawan draft.

Asae Li-ngohammad from the South said he only wanted to have a say in shaping his own community forest.

© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1999

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