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Activists accused of setting fire
Banner told of blaze two hours before
Post reporters, Dec 17, 2002
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/17Dec2002_news06.html
The government believes activists helping Pak Moon
villagers in their protest may have set fire to the protesters' shelters at
the dam site in Ubon Ratchathani on Sunday night.
Phumtham Vejjayachai, deputy Thai Rak Thai secretary-general, said police
officers had said at a meeting yesterday that the people who wrote a banner
for members of the Assembly of the Poor _ who moved their rally from
Government House to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's residence in Soi
Charan Sanitwong 69 on Sunday _ knew about the torching before it had
happened.
A group of hooded men raided and demolished more than 250 shelters of Pak
Moon dam opponents near the dam on Sunday morning. Around 8pm, the
dismantled shacks were set on fire.
Mr Phumtham said the Pak Moon protesters travelled to Mr Thaksin's house
about 6pm carrying a banner which read: ``You torched our houses, we will
destroy your dam.''
He said authorities believed the raid was meant to disrupt talks between the
prime minister and villagers scheduled for this Friday.
``What happened can pose some obstacles to the talks,'' he said.
The Assembly of the Poor has accused the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand, which manages Pak Moon dam, of masterminding the demolition.
Egat governor Sitthiporn Ratanopas denied this, saying there was no reason
why Egat workers would want to destroy the protesters' shacks.
In a statement, the Assembly of the Poor demanded the government arrest the
wrongdoers without delay and take action against police who attacked its
members while rallying at Mr Thaksin's residence.
The protesters said they would not come to Government House to discuss
solutions to the dam problems on Friday.
Any negotiations, they said, had to be held before the media and the public
at Sala Ruamjai _ a meeting place set up at their protest site near
Government House.
Mr Thaksin said he would not come to Sala Ruamjai.
He said there would definitely be no future negotiations with Pak Moon
villagers if their ``real'' representatives did not show up at Government
House on Friday.
``Dec 20 is the last day. If they do not come to talk, let's not talk any
more,'' Mr Thaksin said.
The prime minister said he wanted to talk to ``real'' villagers suffering
from the dam project, not their ``brokers''.
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