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DAM-L LS: Cabinet agrees to open gates but fails on other points (fwd)
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subject: LS: Cabinet agrees to open gates but fails on other points
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The Thai Cabinet yesderday agreed to open the gates of Pak Mun dam until
August, but failed to adopt all 16 recommendations of the committee
established to consider the demands of the Assembly of the Poor. For this
reason, the AOP has described it as "too little too late. 99 villagers will
be starting a hunger strike at 2pm Wednesday local time.
The Nation, Wednesday July 26, 2000
'Too little, too late' from govt
THE Cabinet's decision to open the gates of
the Pak Mool and Rasi Salai dams yesterday
failed to win applause from protesting villagers,
who described the action as "too little too late".
There seems to be no end in sight to the
conflict between the 3,000 protesters and the
government. About 100 men and women
yesterday vowed to begin a hunger strike this
afternoon to express their dissatisfaction with
the government for not adopting all 16
recommendations of a neutral committee
established to consider their demands.
The Cabinet agreed to demands that the Pak
Mool Dam's gates be opened for four months a
year and that the Rasi Salai Dam's gates be
opened indefinitely. But it refused to pay
compensation to more than 2,000 families
affected by the nearby Sirindhorn Dam, which
was completed in 1972.
"We cannot pay again those who have already
received compensation," government
spokesman Akapol Sorasuchart said.
The government also refused to review the
Cabinet's June 1998 resolution that has been
used as a guideline in implementing forestry
boundaries. The villagers said they could not
accept the guideline, which they claim was
drawn to evict them from the forest.
Conflicts over dams and forest land top the list
of grievances that the Assembly of the Poor
has demanded that the government address.
Two months ago Deputy Prime Minister Banyat
Banthadthan appointed a neutral committee,
chaired by respected academic Banthon
Ondam, to investigate the problems.
The committee suggested the government
immediately address 16 urgent cases.
Prominent among them was the damage the
Pak Mool Dam has caused to the livelihoods of
fishermen in the region. However, the
government declined to take action on many of
the recommendations yesterday.
As a result, protesters from the regions near the
Pak Mool and Rasi Salai dams in the Northeast
said they would not return home even though
the Cabinet had met their demand that the
dams' gates be opened.
"We come as a team," said Pranee Nonechan,
42, from Ubon Rachathani's Ban Pak Bung,
next to the Pak Mool Dam. "We will remain
here and stand by our fellow villagers whose
problems have not yet been addressed."
Pranee said her husband, Thongcharoen, was
among those who had volunteered to conduct a
hunger strike to pressure the government to
address the remaining problems.
Two weeks ago police arrested 225 protesters
for illegally entering the Government House
compound and used batons and teargas on
many. The protesters were released on bail.
The protesters demanded that they be
unconditionally released. Thongcharoen
Sihatham, a village leader from Pak Mool,
yesterday insisted that the government confirm
that those arrested would not face any legal
consequences of their action.
BY SOMROUTAI R SAPSOMBOON,
PENNAPA HONGTHONG, and
SUBHATRA BHUMIPRABHAS
The Nation
LAST MODIFIED: Tuesday, 25-Jul-2000 14:06:21
EDT
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