Egat
workers rally against dam
The Nation June 23, 2000
EMPLOYEES of the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand (Egat) rallied yesterday morning at the Bhumibhol dam to demand
the government and public take action against the Assembly of the Poor,
which has led protesters in occupying the Pak Mool and Rasi Salai dams.
About 600 local employees of the dam in Tak province's
Sam Ngao district gathered in front of the dam waving placards and giving
speeches criticising the protest by residents affected by the Pak Mool and
Rasi Salai dams.
The employees made three demands. First, they called on
authorities to take legal action against protesters who have been
occupying Pak Mool dam since the middle of May.
Second, they urged the public to express disapproval of
the "mob rule" that challenged the state's authority and put
society at risk. Third, they demanded the public protest against the
involvement of international non-governmental organisations that intended
to coerce Thai people into becoming more reliant on foreigners.
Pak Mool protesters have demanded that the dam's eight
water gates be opened for four months to allow fish swim upstream and
spawn. The protesters, who mostly earn their living by fishing, claim the
dam has disrupted the migration and spawning of fish in the Pak Mool River
since its completion in 1994.
Egat's public relations director, Amnart Chotchuang,
said Egat could not open the water gates as demanded as doing so would
cause the water level in the river to rise and damage fisheries and paddy
fields along the river.
Representatives of the Assembly of the Poor, meanwhile,
submitted a letter to Muk Sulaiman, the secretary of the House
Administration Committee. The letter requested the committee investigate
the way Egat has dealt with the protesters.
It accused Egat of engaging in a false propaganda
campaign by mobilising Egat employees to hold a rally, spending funds to
manipulate local people, and treating local reporters to free lunches. to
win them over.
Muk told the assembly representatives that he would
place the request on the committee's agenda immediately.
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