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dam-l URGENT! Take Action for Pak Mun Villagers, Thailand
URGENT ACTION ALERT! ELDERLY WOMEN AND OTHERS BEATEN, TEAR-GASSED, AND
ARRESTED IN THAILAND FOR BRINGING GRIEVANCES TO THE GOVERNMENT!
Please fax and email Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and the Thai Ambassador
to the U.S., Nitya Pibulsonggram, Fax: 202 944-3611.
Let them know that the Assembly of the Poor and other villagers from Pak
Mun are not alone in their fight for survival and dignity! Let them know
that we are watching as Thai police arrest children and tear-gas eldery
women...but we are not going to just stand-by! Demand an immediate
solution to the problem by implementing the recommendations of the plenary,
and open the gates of the Pak Mun dam!
For more information about the Pak Mun dam, see www.irn.org/programs/mekong.
Email addresses for the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C.:
thai.wsn@thaiembdc.org, consular@thaiembdc.org, officedma@dma.thaiembdc.org,
officedma@dma.thaiembdc.org, inquiries@oca.thaiembdc.org
SAMPLE LETTER TO MR. CHUAN LEEKPAI:
INSERT DATE
The Honorable Mr. Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister of Thailand
Fax: 662-2475417 or 662-2801443
Dear Mr. Chuan,
I am writing to express my outrage at the treatment of members of the
Assembly of the Poor and other villagers at the Government House on July
17, in which hundreds were arrested, beaten, and tear-gassed, including
children and many elderly women.
This conduct is unacceptable and deserves international condemnation. The
mere fact that a two-year-old-child was among those arrested, and that
elderly women were gassed with chemical agents should be a source of
immense shame.
The Assembly of the Poor and the other protestors are acting out of
desperation because your government has still failed to implement the
recommendations of the panel which met on June 14. This panel recommended
that the sluice gates of the Pak Mun dam be opened for at least four months
to allow fish migrations in the river to occur. The panel also deliberated
on 15 other grievances of the Assembly of the Poor.
Were the panel's recommendations heeded, the Pak Mun villagers and the
Assembly of the Poor would be able to concentrate their activities on
making a living, rather than having to struggle for their survival and
their future.
I urge you to open the gates of the Pak Mun dam immediately, and to comply
fully with the recommendations of the of the committee set up to address
the 16 conflicts under the banner of the Assembly of the Poor. I also urge
you to immediately release all those arrested in connection with this
incident.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXX
***************************************
Thai Government Denying Human Rights!
Arrest of 200 Villagers at Government House
July 17, 2000
At 14:45 (2:45 p.m.) today (Monday, 17 July 2000), the Chuan government
ordered more than 1,000 policemen to forcibly remove protesters of the
Assembly of the Poor from the area around the Government House. One group
of 200 protesters inside the grounds of the Government House were arrested
and removed by about 600 policemen and women from the area in more than ten
vehicles.
Somparn Kuendee, advisor to the Assembly and a staff member of the
Southeast Asia Rivers Network (SEARIN), reported by cell phone just prior
to herself being arrested, that a representative of the police announced to
the protesters that they had tresspassed onto government property and would
be arrested. While making the arrests, Somparn said that some police
harranged the protesters. At this moment, the police took the arrested
protesters to the Police Officer Academy located at Klong Hok in Pathum
Thainai and the Police Officer Academy located at the Region One Border
Patrol Police Headquarters in Salaya in Nakorn Pathom.
Most of those arrested were senior citizens, women, and children, one
of them being only two years old.
The other group of 500 protesters were pushed and beaten back across the
Prempracha canal by about 500-600 police armed with batons and shields and
their the vehicle with their loudspeaker was confiscated. About 30
villagers were injured. Two of them were so seriously injured that they
were sent to Wachirat Hospital for treatment.
At 3:15 p.m., a press conference was held at the SEARIN office by the
Academics for the Poor led by Professor Nidhi Iaosriwong from Chiang Mai
University and Mr. Somchai Sirichai of the Northern Farmer's Network.
Professor Nidhi argued that we need to understand the historical context of
the protest staged by the Assembly of the Poor, particularly the Pak Moon
villagers who have been waiting for an acceptable resolution by the
government for 16 months. But the government has shown its indifference to
the suffering of the people despite the recommendations made by the
committee set up by the government itself to investigate the issue.
The actions taken by the government indicate the govenrment's apathy and the
consistent preference for violence in resolving conflicts with the poor.
Professor Nidhi urged that the people in Bangkok and in Thai society in
general recognize the government's illegitimate use of violence and the
narrow-minded and undemocratic attitude prevalent in the Democrat-led
government. This can be used against other powerless segments of Thai
society any time. The fact that the affected people occupied the premises
of the Government House should be seen as their attempt to negotiate with a
government that refuses to listen to their long-standing problems. Denied
any other avenues to have their grievances heard, they are given only this
limited choice. The middle class should understand that the protesters are
not initiating any violence or merely agitating. They have, on the
contrary, been ignored and deprived of their right to register their
grievance.
Mr. Somchai condemned the government and demanded the immediate release of
the detained villagers.
We call upon our international network of friends and those concerned to
take action. First, please stage a protest at any Royal Thai Embassies,
especially in Washington, D.C., Tokyo, Sydney and any country of the
European Union. Second, please send a fax to Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai
or to any Royal Thai Embassy abroad.
The message of any protest or fax should speak against the use of violence,
demand the immediate release of the arrested protesters, and call for the
government to comply fully with the recommednations of the committee set up
to address the 16 conflicts under the banner of the Aseembly of the Poor.
Most immediate is the opening of the gates at Pak Mun Dam. However, the
government must also immediately address the remaining 15 unresolved
issues, seven covering dams, another seven concerning land rights, and a
final one concerning the negative effects of the Chong Mek Development
Project.
South-East Asia Rivers Network (SEARIN)