Dubious Development Projects and Their Ethnocidal Impacts on the Akha People of Northern Thailand

Abstract

The Akha have suffered civil wars in Burma and relocation by the Thai authorities, and they have been subjected to extensive poverty. They are stateless, and the majority of the Akha residing in Thailand do not have Thai citizenship, leaving them open to both political and economic persecution. This research documents the human rights abuse of the ethnic hill tribes in Thailand, specifically the Akha, and addresses the Thai immigration laws, which adversely affect them. Another important element of this research lies with the Akha's loss of their cultural identity. Christian missionaries, who impose their values and teachings upon the Akha, have played a role in the destruction of Akha culture. The narratives of the Akha, who are considered to be a hill tribe minority by some, or stateless refugees by others, show how they have dealt with the issues of cultural survival and how their traditional practices have been violated or eliminated by authorities.