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Villagers renew protest
Push for permanent opening of dam gates
Bangkok Post, Oct 30, 2002
Ampa Santimatanedol
http://search.bangkokpost.co.th/bkkpost/2002/oct2002/bp20021030/news/30oct2002_news19.html
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| Workers made redundant by a
bending factory in Samut Prakan's Phra Pradaeng district join dam
protesters in a rally at Government House. The workers claimd they
were unfairly laid off without compensation and wages. -
Pattanapong Hirunard |
More than 200 members of the Assembly of
the Poor yesterday gathered outside Government House to renew their push for
the permanent opening of Pak Moon dam's sluice gates.
They threatened to move their rally to the prime minister's Charansanitwong
residence if he refused to meet them.
Somkiat Ponpai, a leading member, urged the government to review the Oct 1
cabinet resolution in which all eight sluice gates would be opened for only
four months a year.
The cabinet took the decision after a special committee sought to find a
compromise between the competing goals of making electricity and restoring
the local environment. The gates will be opened from July to October each
year. They will be closed on Nov 1.
Mr Somkiat said the assembly wanted the government to delay the closing of
the gates until a screening panel studied the findings of a research into
the dam's impact.
One study was sponsored by the cabinet and conducted by Ubon Ratchathani
University. Another was funded by the dam operator, the Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand, and a third was carried out by a group of
fishermen along the Moon river.
The Ubon Ratchathani University paper proposes permanently closing the
gates, periodically opening them for five or eight months, or permanently
opening them.
However, the special committee chaired by Pongpol Adireksarn, then deputy
prime minister, decided that the gates should be opened four months a year
and closed for eight months. The cabinet went ahead with the panel's
decision.
Vanida Tantiwitthayapitak, assembly adviser, lashed out at the government,
particularly Mr Thaksin, for ignoring the plight of residents affected by
the dam.
The government had thrown out the findings of the Ubon Ratchathani
University research team, which was hired for 10 million baht to conduct the
study.
Mrs Vanida said the protesters would move to Mr Thaksin's residence on
Charansanitwong Soi 69 to push for their demand.
Sources said Mr Thaksin failed to show up to meet the protesters yesterday.
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