DOCUMENT: THAILAND.TXT
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL Distr.
COUNCIL GENERAL
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
12 May 1992
Original: ENGLISH
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Sub-Commission on Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection
of Minorities
Working Group on Indigenous Populations
Tenth session
20-31 July 1992
Item 5 of the provisional agenda
REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS PERTAINING TO THE PROMOTION AND
PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS OF
INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS, INCLUDING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
RELATIONS BETWEEN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND STATES
Note by the Secretary-General
Information received from Governments
CONTENTS
Page
Introduction .......................................... 2
Thailand ......................................... 2
GE.92-12453/3986H
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
page 2
INTRODUCTION
1. By its resolution 1982/34 of 7 May 1982, the Economic
and Social Council authorized the Sub-Commission on
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to
establish annually a working group on indigenous populations
to review developments pertaining to the promotion and
protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of
indigenous populations, including information requested by
the Secretary-General annually, and to give special
attention to the evolution of standards concerning the
rights of indigenous populations.
2. The Sub-Commission, in its resolution 1991/30 of 29
August 1991, requested the Secretary-General to transmit the
report of the Working Group on its ninth session
(E/CN.4/Sub.2/1991/40/Rev.1) to Governments for specific
comments and suggestions for the completion of the first
reading of the text of the draft declaration on the rights
of indigenous peoples (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1991/40/Rev.1, annex II)
and the beginning of the second reading at the tenth
session. The Commission on Human Rights endorsed this
request in its resolution 1992/44 of 3 March 1992. In
accordance with these resolutions, appropriate
communications were sent to Governments. The present
document contains replies received as of 12 May 1992.
Further replies, if any, will be included in addenda to this
document.
[12 November 1992]
[Original: English]
THAILAND*
HILL-TRIBE WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
BACKGROUND
1. One of the great sources of pride of the Thai people is
their rich and diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. The
hill-tribes of Thailand and their distinct lifestyles are
part of this colourful heritage. These tribes are among the
many ethnic groups that constitute Thai society. They are
not considered to be minorities nor indigenous people but as
Thais who are able to enjoy fundamental rights and are
protected by the laws of the Kingdom as any other Thai
citizen.
2. According to a recent survey, there are some 500,000
hill-tribesmen in Thailand belonging to nine different hill-
tribes, namely the Hmong, Yao, Lisu, Akha, Lahu, Karen,
Khamu, H'Tin and the Luha, each tribe having inherited its
own distinct language, customs, norms, traditions and
lifestyle.
* Information contained herein was furnished by the
Department of Public Welfare and the Office of the Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Interior of Thailand.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
page 3
3. The hill-tribes of Thailand can be found in the remote
areas of the northern, central and southern regions of
Thailand, spread out over 20 provinces. Because of the lack
of contact with the outside world, some of these hill-tribes
have, in the past, engaged in certain practices, for
instance shifting agriculture and opium cultivation,
unconscious of and unable to comprehend the environmental
and social repercussions of their livelihood. Moreover,
because a majority of the hill-tribe people are illiterate
and lack the necessary knowledge either to earn a decent
income or to look after the sanitary conditions of their own
community, they often live in conditions of poverty, poor
health and malnutrition.
GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TO ASSIST THE HILL-TRIBES
4. In 1959, the National Committee on Hill-Tribes was
established to formulate and review national policies to
address the welfare and development needs of the hill-
tribes. The policies and government activities that have
been launched since have been oriented towards improving the
quality of life of the hill-tribes based on their self-
reliance and encouraging them to become productive and
responsible Thai citizens, while at the same time enabling
them to maintain their cultural identity in a modernizing
world. These policies were also aimed at finding an
alternative means of livelihood for the hill-tribes in order
to end their unconscious destruction of the ecological and
social environment. Regional, provincial and district
committees have also been created to support and complement
national policies in this regard.
5. The objectives of hill-tribe welfare and development
policies of the Royal Thai Government include, inter alia,
the following:
(a) Allocation of land for settlement and agriculture
to the hill-tribes in order to secure their permanent
settlement in fertile areas:
(b) Organization of the administrative structure of the
hill-tribe communities, in order to promote their self-
administration as well as their awareness of and
participation in the affairs of the Kingdom
(c) Introduction of economic and social development
that are geared towards the conservation of natural
resources into the region where the hill-tribes live, in
order to enable them to benefit from and to promote their
appreciation of their natural and social environment;
(d) Enforcement of law and order.
6. Hill-tribe development projects which have been
launched as a result of the hill-tribe welfare and
development policies are comprehensive in scope and includes
occupational and social development.
7. Occupational development programmes undertaken by the
Department of Public Welfare are aimed at promoting the
application of modern agricultural techniques by the hill-
tribes, such as the cultivation of high-yield cash-crops
based on crop rotation methods, for immediate consumption
and income generating purposes.
E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/1992/4
page 4
8. Social development programmes have been undertaken by
the Department of Public Welfare in collaboration with the
Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health, and
include the provision of education, medical programmes and
primary health care, family-planning services, sanitation
and water supply programmes, and social development training
in such areas as public health care, village development,
farming, etc.
9. Furthermore, special projects to benefit the hill-
tribes have also been launched, some of which are under
royal patronage, and others being undertaken in cooperation
with other friendly Governments. These projects include: The
Royal Initiation Projects, the Thai-Australian Highland
Development Projects, the Thai-Norway Highland Development
Project, the Thai-German Highland Development Project.
RESULTS OF HILL-TRIBE WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
10. As a result of the above-mentioned policies of the
Royal Thai Government, the well-being of the hill-tribes in
Thailand has improved to the point where they stand a better
chance not only to preserve and develop their own culture
but also to contribute towards the development of the
Kingdom.
11. Hill-tribes in Thailand have become more conscious of
the need to preserve the environment and have shifted away
from destructive methods of agriculture towards those that
are more permanent and environmentally sound.
12. Hill-tribes have been able to earn a higher income
through the introduction of high-yield cash-crop cultivation
which has superseded the traditional cultivation of opium.
13. An increasing number of hill-tribesmen are benefiting
from their access to educational facilities and enjoy a
healthier life.
14. Hill-tribes are beginning to learn modern ways of
managing the affairs of their community and have become more
knowledgeable of the affairs of the Kingdom.
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