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DAM-L LS: Pak Mun gates opened!!!! (fwd)

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Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 03:06:49 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: LS: Pak Mun gates opened!!!!
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All eight gates of the Pak Mun Dam were finally opened on June 2. They will 
remain open for four months, until October 2, while studies are conducted. 
There will be three major studies - one on fisheries, social impacts and 
environmental impacts, one on preparing a reparations plan for communities 
affected by the project, and one looking at the impact of opening the dam 
gates on Thailand's electricity supply.

The villagers at Pak Mun are very happy and would like to extend their 
thanks to all their international supporters who have helped them achieve 
this great victory.

Aviva Imhof
International Rivers Network


Bangkok Post
Pak Moon dam gates opened despite opposition from villagers

Operators of Pak Moon dam have complied with a cabinet resolution and 
opened all eight sluice gates, despite opposition from villagers.

Residents of Hua Haew village, Khong Chiam district, Ubon Ratchathani were 
against the opening of the gates because the lower water level would affect 
their fish farming businesses.

About 100 villagers began their protest against the opening of the gates on 
May 1.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand said it could not comply 
with the cabinet resolution because of the protest.

The cabinet resolution ordered the gates to be opened for four months 
beginning from May 15, to allow fish to spawn upstream.

June 3, 2001

________________________________
The Nation , June 3, 2001

PAK MOOL DAM: Sluice gates opened as deal struck

All eight sluice-gates of Pak Mool Dam were opened yesterday after the 
Electricity Genera-ting Authority of Thailand (Egat) agreed to compensate 
protestors with Bt5 million. Ubon Ratchathani Governor Rungrit Makarapong, 
together with high-ranking officials from the province, succeeded in making 
a deal with the protestors who did not want the gates to be opened and had 
occupied the area in front of the gates.

Under the agreement, Egat will set up a fund worth Bt5 million for Hua Hew 
villagers as compensation for the damage after the gates are opened.

However, the Hua Hew villagers, led by Supan Wangpol, want protestors under 
the umbrella of the Assembly of the Poor (AOP) to move out of the dam site too.

Although the Cabinet's resolution on May 17, responding |to demands by the 
AOP, asked Egat to open the gates for four months from May 24, the 
resolution was only enforced yester-day.

Egat claimed that if it had opened the gates on May 24, the strong current 
of water would have swept away all the Hua Hew villagers who were camping 
in front of the gates.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra even visited the site on May 25 to 
negotiate a compromise with the protestors who did not want the gates to be 
opened, but he failed to make a deal with the villagers.

Pak Mool villagers who had joined the AOP demanded that Egat open the 
gates, since there had been no fish in the Mool River since the dam had 
begun storing the water.

They hoped that fish would swim up to the river if the gates were opened.

Hua Hew villagers who were against the AOP's demand claimed that opening 
the gates would affect the aqua-culture. 


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