The mood, however, was slightly dampened by a report
that a consultant agency was to conduct a parallel study to another team
already appointed by the cabinet.
On April 17, the Thaksin Shinawatra cabinet ordered the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) to open all gates of
the Pak Moon dam for a period of four months, originally scheduled for May
15 to August 15.
Moreover, Ubon Ratchathani University was assigned to
conduct a study on how to revive the ecology and way of life along the
Moon River.
After a month's delay, Egat finally opened all eight
gates on June 14.
Previously, the cabinet's resolution was not carried
out, as Egat claimed there was another group of villagers protesting
against the opening.
Lamduan Serathong, 49, was elated at the return of the
fish.
She claimed there were now between 40-50 species of fish
that have started to come back for the first time since the dam went into
operation in June 1994.
Thongcharoen Sihatham, a leader of the Assembly of the
Poor which spearheads the decade-old protest, was optimistic the study
commissioned by the cabinet would bring the truth out into the open and
support the villagers' repeated demand to have the Pak Moon dam
decommissioned.
However, the National Economic and Social Development
Board has also commissioned a team to conduct a similar study, but at a
much higher budget of 94 million baht, compared to the 10-million-baht
budget granted to the Ubon Ratchathani University team.
The Pak Moon villagers raised the possibility that Egat
may be behind the NESDB's move.
The consultant agency was allegedly the same one
commissioned to study the Kaeng Sua Ten dam. Both Egat and NESDB officials
were not available for comment yesterday.
