THE THAI STATE AND THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE RIGHTS MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF MANI INDIGENOUS IN KHAO BANTHAT MASSIF

Abstract

Thailand has a great diversity of ethnic groups and Indigenous peoples. Mani is the indigenous people of the Malay Peninsula, spread out and settled in the Khao Banthat Massif, the Thai-Malaysian border area, and up to Malaysia. This paper aims to study the adaptation of the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights towards Mani Indigenous people in Khao Banthat massif by the Thai state and to analyze the results of Mani Indigenous rights management of the Thai state. The key tools for collecting data are in-depth interviews, field  survey observations, and documentary research. The main information providers are local government agencies, local non-governmental organizations, and community leaders. The research reveals that the Thai state has respected and implemented the principles of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including land rights, cultural rights, and the right to self-determination. However, the Thai state has not yet fully implemented the right to participate in decision-making processes affecting Mani people's lives and rights. This has resulted in some developments being incomplete or not in line with the needs or traditional way of life of the Mani indigenous people or has made the Mani Indigenous people the recipients of donations of consumer goods.