[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
dam-l LS: Villagers continue to dig up Rasi Salai dam, Thailand
Note: The real digging the Rasi is change the scheduled to Sunday with
Brahmin rites to tell Mother Earth and Mother River about the diverting of
the river back to its previous course.
Bangkok Post, June 1, 2000
Villagers continue river reclamation
Bid to divert water back to its old course
Anchalee Kongrut
Rasi Salai dam opponents continued removing stones from the base of a road
running from the dam yesterday in a symbolic take-back of the dam.
The protesting villagers, backed by the Assembly of the Poor, said they did
not intend to damage the dam, but wanted to tunnel through the two-lane
road to reclaim the Moon river.
They said the road was built over the old course of the river which was
diverted to flow through the dam spillways since 1993.
"The road and the dam have changed the Moon river channel. The tunnelling
would return the river to its old course. Nature would be restored to the
Moon river," said Chalermchai Champhapan, 35, of Ban Phung, tambon Nong Khae.
About 500 villagers have been taking turns to remove stones using ploughs
and other tools since Tuesday.
The real digging is scheduled for this Saturday with Brahmin rites to tell
Mother Earth and Mother River about the diverting of the river back to its
previous course.
The villagers have set no deadline for completing the tunnelling through
the road which is almost 20m wide. About 200 opponents of Hua Na dam were
expected to join the Rasi Salai protesters this weekend. They have been
camping out in front of Si Sa Ket's provincial hall since April 16.
The Hua Na dam was developed by the Department of Energy Development and
Promotion (DEDP), which also built the Rasi Salai dam.
But Hua Na has 14 spillways compared to seven at Rasi Salai and eight at
the Pak Moon dam which was built by the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand.
The Hua Na dam was completed last year but has not yet started operating
because of the ongoing protest.
The protesters said they were against the Hua Na dam because it was built
without an environmental impact assessment study (EIA).
They remained unconvinced by official promises that their farmland would
not be inundated.
DEDP officials who met the protesters on May 1 did not have a map showing
the water level and the area to be submerged once the reservoir started
collecting water, said Sujin Jitasila, 31, a villager from tambon Muang
Khong in Rasi Salai.
Villagers said they wanted the EIA to assure them they would not face
flooding or salinity problems which had plagued those living around the
Rasi Salai dam for more than five years.
***********************************
Southeast Asia Rivers Network (SEARIN)
25/5 Moo 2
Soi Sukhapiban 27
Changkhien-Jed yod Rd.
Chang Phuek
Muang Chiang Mai 50300
Thailand
Tel&Fax (66) 53-221157
Email: searin@chmai.loxinfo.co.th