(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 24 - UN human rights experts urged UNESCO not to grant World Heritage status to a national park in Thailand, where they said that the Karen indigenous people are arrested and expelled from their traditional lands .
UN experts said in a statement - quoted by the Guardian - that "this is an important case that creates precedents and can influence policies on how the rights of indigenous peoples are respected in protected areas across Asia". "The Karen indigenous people in the national park continue to be forcibly evicted and their homes burned," they said.
The appeal from independent experts came ahead of Monday's review by a UNESCO committee, in which the Thai government is seeking heritage status for Kaeng Krachan National Park for the third time since 2016.
China and Russia are among the countries that support the demand in Thailand.
More than 80 Karen indigenous people have been arrested this year, 28 of whom have been criminally charged with "invasion" of their lands in the park, including a child, according to the UN expert statement, adding that there have been no "good faith" consultations. who allowed the Karens to take part in the Unesco nomination process. (HANDLE).
