Paisal Chuangcham, programme manager for Save The Children,
a
non-government organisation (NGO) working in the area, said that illegal
activities such as hunting and
logging have ''detracted from the buffer zone project".
''No one is talking about this. When we try to talk to
villagers about hunting and logging, they say,
'please don't ask me'," explained Paisal, who spoke at
a seminar on buffer zones held in Khon Kaen
last week.
Save The Children is working on the upper section of the buffer zone project in Nakhon Sawan province.
This portion of the project sits adjacent to Mae Wong National
Park which lies due north of Huay Kha
Khaeng and, according to Paisal, is suffering from a great
deal of logging activity.
''It is not a small operation, both the forestry department
and the police know about it," he said.
''But I haven't seen the government take any action."
The Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) has been working
on the buffer zone project further south, in
Uthai Thani province. Its field coordinator, Rattaphon
Pitaktapsombut, said some illegal activities do
go on there but is much less than it was some five or
six years ago.
The Nong Kayang Foundation, an Uthai Thani-based NGO, is also working
in the buffer zone project,
which is being coordinated by the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro).
The government has provided Alro with a three-year Bt140
million budget for land reform work within
the buffer zone, while Danced, a Danish aid agency, has
provided Bt80 million to be divided between
Alro and the NGOs. An additional Bt4 million is being
provided by the NGOs themselves.
There are 16 villages in the buffer zone and, according
to Alro official Panita Satutum, the Interior
Ministry's policy is to resettle villagers living within
two kilometres of the sanctuary's boundaries.
''That is the policy of the Interior Ministry but so far
there has been no action," she said. ''They
have assigned us [Alro] to find land for resettlement,
but we haven't found any yet. It's all inhabited."