Phrae villagers rally against dam
Artist Vasan Sitthikhet of the Network of Artists for the Environment leads a protest in front of Government House yesterday against the move to go ahead with the Kaeng Sua Ten Dam in Phrae.
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Some 700 villagers from Tambon Sa Eiab in Phrae's Song district protested yesterday against the plans to proceed with the Kaeng Sua Ten Dam as a long-term solution to droughts and floods in the North.
The villagers submitted a letter of protest to the provincial governor and burnt effigies of the Agriculture and Co-operatives Minister Thira Sutabutra and Irrigation chief Samart Chokanapitak, who are pushing for the project after it was shelved a decade ago. They condemned Theera's order on February 23 to have the Royal Irrigation Depart- ment speed up the project as unfair - claiming there were other solutions to the drought and floods. The group vowed to stop anyone trying to proceed with the project, which they said would harm the environment, culture and the community's way of life. "As long as we live, we will fight it. We want to live and die here," said 66-year-old villager Kong Banjong, who claimed he not slept well since news broke that the dam would go-ahead. Meanwhile in Bangkok, artist Vasan Sitthikhet, of the Network of Artists for the Environment, his girlfriend Wannaporn Chim-banjong and several others who had staged protests with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), held a demonstration in front of Government House against the Kaeng Sua Ten Dam. Vasan said the project would destroy golden teak forests worth over Bt4 billion. He claimed there were hidden agendas "to seek benefits" from the project. A news crew from the controversial People's Television (PTV) came to cover the news but the protesters verbally abused them. Vasan said PTV had received money from ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and urged the government to make sure it never goes to air, prompting the news team to back off.
The Nation PHRAE
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