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Dam decision to be reviewed
PM cools protest with promises, ice
cream
Pradit Ruangdit, Bangkok Post, Dec 9, 2002
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited Pak Moon dam
protesters yesterday to defuse tension, after a gang raided their campsite
in front of Government House.
He promised a review of their problems, but many protesters said they would
go ahead with a rally against cabinet's decision on the dam on Dec 16.
Mr Thaksin went to meet the protesters unannounced, saying he wished to
``bypass'' NGO members to talk to people really affected by the dam.
He spent 7,000 baht treating them to a meal and served them ice cream
himself from a vendor's cart.
It was his second face-to-face meeting with the Pak Moon protesters. The
first was on Feb 10 last year, one day after he became prime minister, when
he convinced them to return home.
The Pak Moon villagers returned this year, disenchanted after learning of
cabinet's decision on the dam's sluice gates.
The government said the gates could open for only four months a year, even
though its own study supported a permanent opening. The protesters also want
the gates kept open year-round.
Tension flared again after unidentified men raided their camp outside
Government House early on Thursday, pulling down tents.
During his visit Mr Thaksin was handed the findings of an Ubon Ratchathani
University study on the sluice gates.
The study was commissioned by the government.
The villagers said keeping the gates open would restore their livelihoods
and the environment.
Mr Thaksin promised to seek an overview of the problem and then visit the
Pak Moon area. He said he would contact residents of the 65 villages
affected by the dam to sound out their grievances. He also insisted on
weighing the pros and cons of opening the gates permanently.
He urged everyone to put their grudges aside and ``let go''. All demands
must be reasonable and discussion based on reliable information.
He scheduled another meeting with the protesters in two weeks, and asked for
more time to read the study and survey the villages. Any conclusion to
emerge would be the guideline for resolving the Pak Moon issue.
``It will be the end. Whichever way it turns out, the problem will not be
allowed to become chronic any more,'' he said.
Rally leaders said they would not be fooled by the prime minister and would
carry on with their protest. But they would give him another chance to find
a solution and prove his worth.
Somkiat Ponpai, a protest leader, said the villagers may have welcomed the
private conversation with the premier but they would not budge. They would
not disperse as they mistakenly did last year.
``We learned our lesson well. We believed his word when he sat down here
last year to eat with us,'' he said.
Vanida Tuntivithayapitak, an Assembly of the Poor adviser, said the meeting
was a positive step. The prime minister had admitted he had not looked at
the gate study.
Nanthachote Chairat, an assembly adviser, said Mr Thaksin was trying to
``reconnect'' with protesters by visiting them.
Mr Thaksin's comments suggested he thought cabinet erred in its dam gate
decision.
Sulak Sivaraksa, a social critic, said the prime minister's visit was
theatrical, but it would only be fair to give him another go. ``Just don't
raise your expectations too high,'' he said.
Mr Thaksin's attempt to woo the poor was a mere facade. ``He's more a friend
to the rich than the poor,'' Mr Sulak said. |
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