<p>On 4 September, the women and men human rights defenders (W/HRDs) of the Khao Lao Yai-Pha Jun Dai Forest Conservation Group have achieved a tremendous victory in their 26-year struggle against quarry mining by reclaiming the mining zone and proclaiming it a community forest zone.</p>

<p>After more than two decades of struggle against quarry mining in Dongmafai sub District,&nbsp;Suwannakhuha&nbsp;District&nbsp;,NongBuaLamphu Province, the community women and men human rights defenders impacted by the mining will organize a blockade in an attempt to stop the mining operations.</p>

<p>On 23-24 July 2020, representatives from the United Nations&rsquo; Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for South East Asia visited community-based women and men human rights defenders from Khon Rak Kroksomboon Group and Khon Rak Ban Nong Talad Group in Prachinburi Province, eastern Thailand.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand (SPFT) met with the Parliamentary Committee on Land Issues and Land Deeds on 26 &ndash; 27 June to discuss land rights issues and called for realistic allocation of land to achieve sustainable livelihood for the landless.</p>

<p>The woman human right defender of the anti-mining <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/category/rak-ban-haeng-group">Rak Ban Haeng Group</a> in Lampang received a visit and intimidation by the police on Thursday, after publicly reading statement echoing the calls of the People&rsquo;s Movement of 5 Regions that demands the government to revoke Emergency Decree.</p>

<p>Indigenous woman human rights defender Katima Leeja was visited by a plainclothe military officer around a week after she led a protest against alleged violence from forest authorities in a land dispute confrontation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the 6th anniversary of the disappearance of Karen community rights activist Porlajee &quot;Billy&quot;&nbsp;Rakchongcharoen, Amnesty International calls on the authorities to ensure that Billy&#39;s family learn the truth about what happened to him and that those responsible are brought to justice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rasi Salai, Sisaket - A twenty-foot high tower of rice sacks presides over The Wetlands Center in Rasi Salai, serving as a reverent centerpiece assembled by local villagers in honor of their land and labor. For a community bound together by the natural world and, increasingly, the myriad of threats to it, the rice mound is a symbol to be admired.</p>

<p>In the case of 14 Sapwai villagers from Chaiyaphum Province, sentenced to imprisonment and fines by the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal after refusing to move from their land under the &lsquo;forest reclamation&rsquo; policy, their lawyer indicated that the problem started from missing survey data leading to a lack of legal documents, and their defence which the court refused to consider.</p>

<p>Thai&nbsp;authorities should carry out an effective investigation, open to public scrutiny, into the abduction and intimidation of Eakachai Itsaratha, a community rights activist in Phatthalung province, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/15/thailand-investigate-activists-abduction-phatthalung">Human Rights Watch</a> said today.</p>

<p>Military and police officers have prevented journalists from attending a forum on the controversial national park and wildlife protection bills, claiming that their presence could affect the image of the junta.</p>