Bangkok: The people hailed it as historic after the House of Representatives approved the draft Ethnic Groups Act. Members of Parliament (MPs) of the People's Assembly hailed the historic first after the House of Representatives approved the draft Ethnic Groups Act as a gift to indigenous peoples ahead of Indigenous Peoples' Day in Thailand on August 9.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Manop Kiriphuwan, along with Mr. Laufang Bandit Thedsakul, MP for the Prachachon Party, and his team, held a press conference after the House of Representatives approved the draft Act on the Protection and Promotion of Ethnic Groups' Ways of Life, B.E. ..., as amended by the Senate. They stated that the House's approval of the draft act was a gift to the ethnic people of Thailand. August 9th is International Day of Indigenous Peoples, an event held annually as the party continues to push for this issue. This event is considered historic for the parliament and marks the first time a similar bill has been proposed. In the House of Representatives, the Prachachon Party, the Pheu Thai Party, the Cabinet, and the public sector jointly proposed five similar bills, which passed the House's consideration.
Controversy is a natural occurrence, but ultimately, a consensus was reached. Although many points may not align with the public's proposals, such as the definition of "indigenous people," which the Senate narrowed down, and the declaration of self-protected zones, another issue that may not yet meet the needs of all parties, overall, this law is actionable. On behalf of a political party, I believe that the political space for ethnic groups in Thailand has become clearly visible and enshrined in the law, in addition to the Constitution. Today marks a historic opportunity: a law has been enacted to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples, reaffirming their existence and presenting a gift to our indigenous brothers and sisters in Thailand, celebrating on August 9th. Following discussions with fellow MPs about the future role of the House of Representatives, a subcommittee will be established to study the process for declaring cultural protected zones. This will serve as a guideline for the public and agenci es implementing this law. Lessons learned and a summary of past performance from the Cabinet resolution of August 3, 2010, will also be provided, along with assistance in preparing secondary legislation for relevant agencies.
Mr. Lau Fang Bandit Therdsakul added that the People's Party has established various networks, including the Ethnic and Indigenous Peoples Network, to push for specific solutions. This draft bill is one of the results of this network, which we have been working on since the Move Forward Party era and continues through the People's Party. This bill was submitted to Parliament for its first reading in 2024, and took approximately one and a half years to fight through committees and the House of Representatives. Although many principles were lost along the way, many were misunderstood, and many issues required ideological struggles with various relevant agencies, the results of our struggle include several key points, such as the provisions to recognize and promote cultural rights, the extension of cultural development, and the rights to land and resources, which are central to the development of this bill. The right to develop various issues, such as infrastructure, and participation in decision-making on issue s affecting the lives of ethnic groups, such as the enactment of certain regulations that could impact their rights.
The remaining issues are: 1. The enactment of a law prohibiting the use of advertising or dissemination that incites hatred or contempt against ethnic groups, leading to social division. Unfortunately, this issue was dropped in the Senate. It is concerning that attacks and hatred against ethnic groups continue to be spread through various media, especially social media, today. 2. The declaration of areas protecting the livelihoods of ethnic groups, with the intention of declaring areas and exempting them from forestry laws, which impacts the livelihoods of ethnic groups. Furthermore, many matters remain to be addressed, as this law marks the first time a statutory legal system has been established to protect the rights of ethnic groups, a crucial step forward. However, the next step is to fight for secondary legislation on several equally important issues. The principle is useless without effective secondary legislation, and numerous statutes must be amended. This is the responsibility of the House of Represe ntatives and the People's Party to continue pushing for this implementation. We would like to thank all involved parties, particularly the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, which played a key role in pushing for this bill, as well as the National Council of Indigenous Peoples of Thailand. The People's Movement for a Just Society (P-Move), academics, and media outlets have played a crucial role in pushing for this law.