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dam-l LS: Villagers ordered to end car park protest, Pak Mun
http://www.bangkokpost.net/today/060600_News10.html
June 6, 2000
PAK MOON DAM
Villagers ordered to end car park protest
Chief misses meeting to play round of golf
Dusit Singkhiri
Ubon Ratchathani
The dispute at the Pak Moon dam took a new twist yesterday when dam
authorities demanded that protesters move out of the car park they have
occupied for three weeks, a change from their original demand that
engineers be allowed to inspect and maintain dam machinery.
The protesters' continued occupation of the car park had effectively sealed
off the entrance to the power generation plant.
"We need space to place heavy equipment for removing water hyacinths and
garbage which has clogged spillways for over 20 days since these villagers
seized the dam," said Amnat Chotechuang, public relations director of the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
"That would allow us to service the generators which means we need the
protesters to move out of the way for their own safety and the convenience
of the engineering staff."
>From the start of the occupation, Egat, the dam operator, had repeatedly
warned that lack of maintenance of the machinery would lead to the
malfunctioning of all generators and spillways, causing blackouts and flooding.
Protesting villagers had adamantly rejected the demand, insisting they
would not comply until a committee was set up to solve their problems and
that the engineers' team be accompanied by representatives of the
protesters, the media and a neutral party.
Last week, the government agreed to appoint a committee composed of 10
mutually-acceptable persons to respond to the protesters' grievances,
raising the hope that the conflict would soon be resolved.
Yesterday morning, a meeting was held at the dam site to discuss Egat's
demand attended by representatives of the Assembly of the Poor and
Thaweekhun Sawantranon, vice dean of Engineering Faculty of Ubon
Ratchathani University.
Egat's representatives apparently failed to show up for the scheduled meeting.
"We tried to contact Suwit Phumwiang, chief of Pak Moon dam, the previous
day to inform him of the scheduled meeting but were told that he was not
available because he was out on a round of golf," said Bunmee Khamruang, a
protest leader.
But Mr Chotechuang, Egat public relations chief, said he was not informed
of the meeting, only that the protesters submitted a letter yesterday to a
security guard at the dam although he was not aware of the content of the
letter.
The Assembly of the Poor later issued a statement again informing
authorities of its stance that the protesters would not vacate the car park
until concrete solutions to their problems were submitted.
He said another meeting would take place today between concerned parties to
negotiate the terms of inspection by the dam's engineers.