Crime of Genocide filed against Thailand at the ICC for Akha People
Akha
Feb 27, 2008
The Crime of Genocide: The Akha vs. Thailand at the International
Criminal Court
I have filed a case against the Government of Thailand with the
International Criminal Court in the Hague, charging the Government of
Thailand with the crime of Genocide against the Akha people.
A systematic effort to deprive the Akha of land, including land
confiscations by the Queen of Thailand, to deprive the Akha of food
resources, to forcibly relocate their villages resulting in high
numbers of deaths, high instances of false arrest, imprisonment, extra-
judicial executions, the blatant removal of Akha children by
missionaries for conversion and allienation from their language,
culture and identity have clearly shown that the Thai Government has
mounted a long term campaign against the Akha that can be identified
as Genocide.
Attempts by the Akha to resist, to document the abuse and killings,
are met with reprisal and more killings. Akha rescued from Army camps
were later arbitrarily executed.
Removal of Akha children by missionaries numbers in the thousands. The
Thai Government has approved of these actions.
I call on the world body of the International Criminal Court to fully
investigate these charges and demand of Thailand a complete end to
these actions and conditions, and that Thailand begin to prosecute the
perpetrators of this crime where ever they may be. This would include
the deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who ordered thousands
to be killed with little to no evidence of their crime, many of whom
were Akha people.
Matthew McDaniel
The Akha Heritage Foundation