Assembly of the Poor is a nationwide movement of rural and urban grassroots groups in Thailand organizing to collectively defend and promote the rights of the poor.
In the Nakhon Phanom region, local communities have been facing problems related to land rights and access to natural resources, as well as threats of dislocation.
Anne Lapapan Supamanta is a human rights defender from the Assembly of the Poor.
While the State offers compensation, many communities have little legal knowledge or capacity to secure their rights. As a result they almost almost never access their compensation and do not know if it is adequate. If they do not sign the compensation documents demanded by the government, they get reported to the police and usually end up in jail.
We have seen scores of victims becomes human rights defenders once they are aware of their rights. The people who are in the 'privileged class' can also become human rights defenders for others if they are aware of the issues at hand. The key is to raise awareness of the injustice and the inequality - Anne Lapapan Supamanta.
Read more
Credits:
1. United Nations Photo; Indigenous groups in Thailand; June 14, 2011; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). 2. United Nations Photo; Field coverage: Thailand; January 1, 1989; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). 3. Eternal Vagabond; Rural Thailand; November 10, 2007; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). 4. Eternal Vagabond; Rural Thailand - labourer; November 10, 2007; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). 5. United Nations Photo; International Year of the Child (IYC) - 1979; January 1, 1978; (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).