Why We Need to #SaveSabWaiVillagers

#SaveSabWaiVillagers: don’t forget about them! We Need your HELP! 14 Villagers in Sab Wai Village including Nittaya #SaveNittaya were put in jail because of the unjust forest policy of the Thai government. They have been released on bail and now they are at risks of being sentenced to prison again!

14 villagers from Sab Wai village, Chaiyaphum province were accused of encroaching the land in Sai Thong national park area despite them living there their whole lives even before the Forest Reclamation Policy was enacted! The policy was meant to target the rich investors who used large chunks of land to make huge profits for their businesses while polluting the air and destroying the forest.

The policy was supposed to not harm the poor but as it turns out, the people who have been affected the most and jailed are poor villagers and indigenous peoples who just use the land to earn their livelihood. For the Sab Wai villagers, they were actually manipulated and threatened to sign the documents forcing them to give away their lands.

On top of that, this Forest Reclamation Policy was financed by the World Bank, in 2016, Thailand received a grant for US$3.6 million for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Readiness from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) financed and managed by the World Bank.

Why is the Thai government putting profit over people? Why is the Thai government unjustly criminalizing poor people and indigenous peoples while pretending to protect the forest to the World Bank?

As you may know, the final supreme court hearing for Nittaya’s cases will be held this March 3rd. The outcome of her case will determine not just her fate, but also the ones of the remaining 13 Sab Wai villagers as well.

Time is running out! We need your help to #SaveNittaya and #SaveSabwaiVillagers

HOW CAN YOU HELP?