The project claimed to have as its aim the reorganization of land use in all 1,253 National
Forest Reserves in the northeastern region of Thailand in the name of protecting the
environment and helping the poor. In practice, it evicted several thousand families from their
homes to make way for commercial eucalyptus plantations. The plan was clearly in the hands
of the military, with ISOC being the key enforcer of the measures. Interestingly, before the
1991 coup, the government of Chatchai allocated only 270 million to the project, instead of the
2.7 billion baht requested. But soon after the coup, over a billion baht was granted for the
project for 1992. Forced eviction of people from their homes and communities took place soon
after. Threats, intimidation, and violence were common methods, as were the using of false
information and tricking villagers to sign documents agreeing to resettlement, stationing troops
in villages for weeks at a time, beating villagers, and destroying of houses and crops with
tractors.