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Monday, May 13, 2024

Landless villagers get homes, but must protect Ranong mangroves

Landless villagers in Ranong will be given homes in a mangrove forest in exchange for helping conservation efforts under a deal that could become a model across the country. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Authorities have reached an agreement with a landless community that will allow villagers to live in a mangrove forest if they help protect the area, a unique collaboration that could work across the country, land rights groups said.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the government, human rights groups and about 45 families in the coastal town of Ranong, the community will not get ownership rights but will receive assistance in building homes and access to utilities.

The agreement, which was struck earlier this month and includes indigenous people such as the sea gypsies, is now being…

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