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dam-l LS: Take Action now for Pak Mun villagers



Dear friends

I urge you to take action to support the villagers at Pak Mun dam site in
Thailand, who occupied the dam crest and fish ladder on May 15 and intend
to stay until their demand is met. They are demanding that the dam gates be
permanently opened to allow the fish to migrate up the Mun river from the
Mekong. As of Monday afternoon, California time, the villagers remain on
the dam, despite repeated threats from EGAT and the Ubon Provincial
Governor that they will be forcibly removed. Villagers are fearful of the
violence that might ensue if they are forcibly removed, and are asking for
letters of support to Thai Prime Minister Chuan. 

We are trying to bombard Chuan's office with faxes, to let him know that
the international community is closely monitoring the situation, and to
pressure him to respect the villager's demands. YOUR LETTER IS IMPORTANT.
Please take the time to copy the letter below and fax it to Chuan's office,
or even better, write your own letter.

For more information about Pak Mun dam, see www.irn.org/programs/pakmun.

Please fax Chuan now and show your support for the villagers out there on
the dam!

In solidarity,

Aviva Imhof
International Rivers Network

___________________________________

SAMPLE LETTER TO MR. CHUAN LEEKPAI

INSERT DATE

The Honorable Mr. Chuan Leekpai 
Prime Minister of Thailand 
Fax: 662-2803661

 Dear Mr. Chuan

I write to express my support for the villagers who are currently occupying
the crest of Pak Mun dam and the fish ladder. They are demanding that the
Thai Government and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand open
the dam gates to allow the fish to migrate up the Mun River from the Mekong
to breed as they did in former times. I wholeheartedly support the
villager’s efforts to recover their lost livelihood and restore the ecology
of the Mun River. 

The villagers have vowed to remain non-violent. I am concerned about
reports that thousands of police have been ordered to stand by at the Pak
Mun site, and that villagers will be forced to move. In the past, a large
police presence like this has lead to the use of violence to disperse the
protesters. I urge you to direct the police to respect the rights of the
protesters and to remain non-violent. There is absolutely no justification
for use of force against the protesters.

The villagers’ demand to open the gates of the dam are reasonable and need
to be seriously considered. The cost of opening the gates and allowing the
river to flow unimpeded is marginal compared to the cost of lost fisheries
that communities living along the Mun River have borne over the past nine
years. Furthermore, the current oversupply of power in Thailand makes it
technically feasible for EGAT to forfeit the generating capacity at Pak Mun
without causing any interruptions to power supply.  

The best way for the villagers’ concerns about the dam to be addressed is
through a dialogue, not through the use of force.  This is in keeping with
the constitution which calls for consultation with communities affected by
development plans, and demands respect for the human dignity of all people
in Thailand. In addition, it is consistent with the aim of deepening and
widening democracy in Thailand. Forceful eviction, by contrast, would
create the impression that the Thai government is still committed to the
use of force as the final arbiter of conflicts. This would be an
unfortunate and unnecessary conclusion.

Respectfully yours,

 
YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS










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Aviva Imhof
South-East Asia Campaigner
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley CA 94703 USA
Tel: + 1 510 848 1155 (ext. 312), Fax: + 1 510 848 1008
Email: aviva@irn.org, Web: http://www.irn.org
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