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DAM-L LS: 10,000 protest Chuan admin./ Pak Mool and Rasi Salai dams/AOP



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Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 11:57:37 -0700 (PDT)
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subject: LS: Mass protest unites 10,000 against Chuan administration
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Mass protest unites 10,000 against Chuan administration

ABOUT 10,000 protesters and sympathisers converged on Sanam Luang last 
night in the largest anti-government demonstration faced by the 
three-year-old Chuan administration so far.

Thousands of demonstrators with different grievances, ranging from 
anti-government activists seeking an immediate dissolution of the House to 
laid-off industrial workers, gathered at Sanam Luang in a show of support 
for Assembly of the Poor protesters yesterday.

Though the protesters and their black-clad sympathisers were pushing for 
different agendas, they were united in their displeasure with the Chuan 
administration.

They accused the government of having forfeited any legitimate claim to 
stay in power through its disregard of the plight of the underprivileged.

Among newcomers to the protest were workers from various state enterprises 
who said they had come to show solidarity with Assembly of the Poor 
protesters.

A statement read towards the end of the protest described Chuan as a 
"tyrant". A parody of the violent dispersal of trespassing Pak Mool 
villagers from Government House two weeks ago was also enacted by children, 
to the amusement of the demonstrators.

"This protest is a spontaneous one, not an organised one," said Somsak 
Kosaisuk, president of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) labour union. 
"People are getting fed up with the government's mishandling of public 
issues."

Somsak said he expected workers from other state enterprises to take part 
in the anti-government protest. Many state-enterprise workers are opposed 
to the government's privatisation plans. Other protest leaders included Dr 
Sant Hatthirat, social critic Sulak Sivaraksa, democracy activist Phiphob 
Thongchai and senior NGO leader Dej Phumkhacha.

Some 2,000 Assembly of the Poor protesters have vowed to continue their 
months-long protest to pressure the Chuan government to fully comply with 
their demands. They have insisted the government redress the environmental 
impacts of dam construction and called for a lasting solution to numerous 
land-rights disputes with the Forestry Ministry and other government agencies.

Forty people began a hunger strike on Thursday in a bid to pressure the 
government to meet all their demands. Ten hunger strikers had already quit 
yesterday, while another 20 villagers had joined the fast.

Paijit Silarak, a leader of the Assembly of the Poor, said 169 
non-governmental organisations and political-action groups had expressed 
support for the protesters.

"We are protesting [at Sanam Luang] to expose the government's attempt to 
deceive the public into believing that our problems were solved by the 
latest Cabinet resolution," Paijit said.

On Tuesday the Cabinet agreed to some of the recommendations made by a 
neutral committee to address the protesters' grievances, including the key 
demand that the gates of the Pak Mool and Rasi Salai dams be opened as part 
of efforts to revive river life.

But the concessions made by the government were deemed inadequate by the 
protesters.

Paijit said Assembly of the Poor protesters were prepared for a lengthy 
protest. "Even if this government dissolved the House of Representatives 
and called an early election, we would still insist the new government 
comply with our demands."

Another speaker, Phinand Chotirotseranee of Kanchanaburi Conservation 
Group, advised the government to listen to the people before embarking on 
any large-scale projects. She said the Petroleum Authority of Thailand had 
built the Yadana Burma-Thailand Gas Pipeline against the will of the local 
people and it was now running at a loss because the electric power plant in 
Ratchaburi province could not be built according to schedule. She claimed 
the government wanted to inveigle electricity-consumers into absorbing a 
major chunk of the Bt2 billion overheads incurred by the project's 
mismanagement.

"I want to know if the government wants to have the public absorb any other 
losses [accruing from the Malaysia-Thai Gas Pipeline Project]." Phinand said.

Meanwhile Nudaeng Ternkhuntod, a hunger striker who collapsed from 
exhaustion on Friday, was released from Vajira Hospital, where she had been 
given medical treatment overnight. She was given medication to treat a 
severe stomach ache, intravenous feeding and soft food, according to 
hospital officials.

Nudaeng said she intended to resume her hunger strike once she regained her 
strength.

According to nurses, four other hunger strikers are showing signs of ailing 
health, including low blood pressure and unusually rapid heartbeats. They 
were told to quit the hunger strike to prevent their conditions worsening 
but decided to continue fasting for another day.

Hundreds of workers laid off by Thai Durable Textile (Thai Krieng), 
demanding government intervention for their reinstatement, also joined the 
Sanam Luang protest.

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said yesterday he was not worried by the 
ongoing protest and insisted his government had consistently respected 
protesters' rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression as 
guaranteed by the Constitution. Six hundred law-enforcers have been 
deployed to keep order, and many special-branch police were seen mingling 
with the demonstrators.

"This kind of protest has been held many times before. My only request is 
for protesters to refrain from causing damage to public property," the 
prime minister said.

Chuan urged hunger strikers to quit, saying such action would not sway the 
government's position on how to deal with issues raised by the Assembly of 
the Poor.

Former Senate speaker Meechai Ruchuphan called on protesters to exercise 
self-restraint and continue to give the government the benefit of the doubt 
in its handling of issues raised by protesters.

He expressed concern about the volatile state of politics at present: "The 
current political situation is very confusing. No one seems to know what 
others are thinking or what they want," Meechai said. "Most people don't 
even know what the government has or hasn't done. People should stay calm 
and refrain from all forms of violence."

Another protest has been organised for today, starting at 4pm. Union leader 
Somsak said he could not tell whether it would be feasible to prolong the 
protest beyond the weekend.

BY SUBHATRA BHUMIPRABHAS

The Nation July 30, 2000
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