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Protester smashes jar, raises a stink
Blocked from giving pla daek to
minister
Post Reporters
A protester smashed a jar of pla daek (fermented fish) in
front of Government House yesterday after he and other opponents of Pak Moon
dam were refused permission to present the Isan delicacy to the energy
minister.
The action caught security officers off guard, but the five kilogrammes of
the strong-smelling northeastern staple, also known as pla ra, and shards of
the broken jar were quickly removed.
The five representatives of the dam's opponents had wanted to give the fish
to Energy Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana to draw his attention to their
problems following the decision to close the dam's sluice gates for eight
months a year. They said the closure would affect the livelihood of locals
and block fish from migrating up the Moon river to spawn.
Paolo Khamsawat, who was holding the jar, became angry and smashed the jar
after security guards insisted they could not take it inside for fear the
fermented fish would create a stink in the air-conditioned rooms.
About 100 more opponents turned up at Government House yesterday to protest
against the cabinet's decision to close the dam's gates to allow the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to produce electricity.
They demanded the cabinet resolution be reviewed.
The cabinet's decision was based on a recommendation made early last month
by a government committee chaired by former deputy prime minister Pongpol
Adireksarn. |
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