Two Thai men have been cleared of allegations they kidnapped 34 members of the Padaung ethnic group in Thailand’s north to display them in a ”human zoo”, officials said on Thursday.
Thana Nakluang and Rakkiat Siriwilai, themselves members of the Lahu ethnic group, were accused of detaining Padaung, better known as ”longnecks” for the metal coils the women wear around their necks, from Chiang Mai province’s Santondu village.
They were also charged with murdering one of the women, who allegedly died of a broken heart after being forced to leave her two sons behind in Myanmar’s Karen state, according to Thai rights group Coalition to Fight against Child Exploitation (Face).
The group brought the case against the men, who were acquitted Wednesday on all counts due to a lack of evidence, a court official said.
Seven families of the Padaung tribe were allegedly tricked into leaving their village in Karen state, which borders Thailand, to see relatives in Thaton village in Mae Hong Son province in 1996.
Instead they said they were taken directly to adjacent Chiang Mai province and forced to live in a village that masqueraded as a cultural spot for tourists, who paid 250 baht (six dollars) each to ogle at their exotic looks.
”I feel so disappointed with the ruling. The court decision did not take into account that the Karen (a larger ethnic group to whom the Padaung belong) testified that they were detained in the human zoo into consideration,” Face chairperson Sudarat Serewat said.
Sudarat said Face would appeal the case, which has been running since February 1998.
Padaung women wear heavy brass coils which are added to each year in childhood. By depressing the shoulders and ribcage they give the illusion of an extremely long neck — a tradition many visitors find fascinating.
Tour operators first started taking tourists to see the Padaung in Thailand about 10 years ago, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand continues to enthusiastically promote them and other ethnic minority groups as attractions. – Sapa-AFP