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dam-l LS: 2 of Rasi gates opened



BANGKOK POST: MINOR WIN FOR OPPONENTS
Bangkok Post - Thailand ; 24-May-2000 12:00:00 am ; 164 words

Rasi Salai dam authorities yesterday bowed to pressure from protesters and 
opened two spillways to flush out salinity problems downstream. Thawit 
Thaweechot, head of Rasi Salai dam maintenance section, said all the gates 
could not be opened at the same time because they would flood farmland 
below the dam. Despite the latest move, the villagers vowed to continue 
their five-day protest until all the spillways are opened. They claimed the 
dam caused the spread of salinity in the reservoir and its surrounding 
areas. Dam officials asked protest leaders to move away from the dam's 
entrance, but they refused to budge. They had to seek permission from 
village guards before entering the compound, the source said. Meanwhile, 
provincial authorities denied reports that one farmer drowned on May 19 
while taking refuge on the roof of his house. Si Sa Ket Governor Kosin 
Ketthong said Home Boonyoung, 67, died of diabetes. He was one of 1,000 
villagers who built makeshift houses on the banks of the Moon river after 
the dam was constructed in 1993. The new settlement has been flooded since 
August. 

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