This is a copy of the letter sent to PM Chuan via
the Thai ambassador in Tokyo, from Collation of Anti-Dam Activists in
Japan.
The Honorable Mr. Sakthip Krairiksh
Ambassador of the Government of
Thailand in Japan
July 24, 2000
Your excellency:
We sincerely ask you to forward the Letter of
Concerns and Request from Anti-Dams activities in Japan to right honorable
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. We are representatives of organizations
fighting against domestic dam projects in Japan as well as stakeholders in
the World Bank which funded the Pak Mun Dam. The letter expresses our
grave concerns about the current police attack on the members of the
Assembly of the Poor who have been demonstrating against 16 serious
problems, including the Pak Mun Dam.
Respectfully yours,
Coalition of Anti-dam Organizations in Japan
*********************************************************************************************************
Collation of Anti-Dam Activists in
Japan
Letter of Concern and Request
-- Drop charges for
arrested protesters --Stop violent police actions -- Open the gates
of Pak Mun Dam
The Right Honorable Mr. Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister of Thailand
July 24, 2000
Dear Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai:
We are writing this letter not only as Japanese
tax-payers and stakeholders in the World Bank which funded the Pak Mun
Dam, but also as social activists fighting against destructive dam
projects in Japan similar to the Pak Mun Dam in Thailand.
We, organizations fighting against socially and
environmentally destructive dams in Japan, wish to express our grave
concern, as well as great regret, with regard to the recent police attacks
on and the arrest of members of the Assembly of the Poor. We recognize that those who attempted to occupy Government House
did so out of a sense of utter desperation caused by your government's
indifference to their demands. What
they ask for is just--compliance with the recommendations submitted by the
committee established by the Interior Ministry of your government. Considering this, we do not understand why your government
consistently continue to ignore or downplay the issues at hand. Please delay no longer. The Assembly's pleas regarding the Pak Mun Dam and fifteen other
issues deserve be heard and the problems need to be justly resolved now. You must recognize that it was your government's lack of response
that forced their hand. In
their disillusionment with what is supposed to be due process, the
villagers of Pak Mun felt that their only recourse to make their voice
heard was to demonstrate. And, this they did peacefully. In light of this, we request that all charges against the
protesters be immediately dropped.
Here, we must also protest the violence meted out by
the police against the Assembly of the Poor. The use of batons and tear-gas against a non-violent group of is
intolerable and should be condemned. The actions of the police are particularly reprehensible as the
group included children and the elderly. The protesters repeatedly vowed not to resort to violence and
indeed did not. The blood
that was shed is not on their hands but on the hands of the police. We hold the Thai Government fully responsible for the current
situation. We do so not only
because your government is the supervisory body of the police force, but
also because the protesters actions were born of desperation caused by
your government inaction.
Your government must take responsibility and ensure
that the violence is not repeated and the recommendations of the committee
are implemented. Please do not forget that it was established on your
government's own initiative.
Now, we strongly request that during next Tuesday's
Cabinet meeting on July 25 the recommendations of the committee be
accepted without any conditions, and the remaining 15 unresolved issues be
addressed immediately. In
addition, we ask that your government fully and promptly comply with the
committee's recommendations, the most urgent of which is the opening the
gates of the Pak Mun Dam. Fish must be allowed swim upstream to spawn in
the Mun River.
We, Japanese organizations fighting against socially
and environmentally destructive dams here in Japan, stand in solidarity
with the Assembly of the Poor. With
all our hearts and souls, we support their efforts and long-standing
struggles to recover their lost livelihoods and restore the ecology of the
Mun River. You can be assured
that we will continue to closely monitor your government's actions and
speak out on behalf of the villagers if the need again arises. May justice prevail. Respectfully yours, The Coalition of Anti-Dam
Organizations in Japan
Endorsed by the
following organizations
Heather Souter,Toshiko Niikura / Rivers!Japan
Ikuko Matsumoto / Friends of the Earth
Yoshiaki Murayama / Yoshinogawa Tokyo no Kai
Makoto Watanabe / Kawabegawa Tokyo no Kai
Yukio Hayakawa / Sagamigawa Camp in Symposium
Yasuo Endo / National Dam Opposition
Network(Suigenren)
Yasushi Nakashima / Citizens for Saving the Kawabe
Suematsu Satoko / Noniikukai |
