Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a final resolution on 15 January 2003, regarding the Pak Mun dam in Ubon Ratchathani, to open the sluice gates of the dam for only four months a year, claiming it was in the interest of the majority. The state also claimed it would do what it can to help the affected minority. Meanwhile, over 100 dam opponents who rallied in Bangkok refused to recognise the cabinet resolution. They wanted permanent opening of the dam to resume their livelihood of fishing throughout the year.

This decision came after 2 personal visits by the Prime minister with some of the villagers in December. He promised to make a final decision about the dam by the end of 2002, after consulting with officials and another set of researchers. A poll that covered 3750 local families was also conducted between 24 and 26 December to measure opinions regarding the dam. According to the source, the majority (23.9%) of the respondents agreed with the opening of the sluice gates between July and October.

The fight by the Pak Mun villagers for a permanent opening of the sluice gates of the Pak Mun Dam began in July 2000, when they set up a camp site outside the government house in Bangkok to protest. Hotline issued UA000720(12) and FU000720(12) to support the villagers' struggles.

Sources:
International Rivers Network
Bangkok Post

Since mid-September, hundreds of Assembly of the Poor (AOP) members and villagers have renewed their push for the permanent opening of the spillways of the Pak Mun dam. They have threatened to lay siege to Pak Mun dam in Ubon Ratchathani province if the government refuses to scrap a plan to open its sluice gates for only four months per year. About 50 members of the assembly met Suthee Suthisombun, the Prime Minister's deputy secretary-general, to file a complaint and deliver a petition signed by more than 10,000 villagers who would be affected by the move.

The protesters claimed that those living near the dam would starve to death during the eight-month closure of the gates due to the diminished fish population. They also claimed that the decision reached by a government panel was made in favour of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), which built and operates the dam. The assembly accused the panel of misinterpreting the findings of a research into the dam conducted by the University of Ubon Ratchathani.

The panel defended its decision, saying it was a compromise between the wishes of local fishermen and EGAT, even though it previously rejected a request by NGO representatives to attend the meeting during which the decision was made.

In response, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra set up another panel to consider the claims of the AOP that the dam damaged the river's ecology. As a result, a review panel, chaired by senior Science Ministry official Suphavit Piamphongsant, studied the Pak Mun dam controversy. He questioned the plan of only opening the sluice gates for four months, claiming the recommendation was premature and misinterpreted a study by Ubon Ratchathani University which suggested four options: leaving the sluice gates open, opening them for five months or eight months each year, and closing the gates.

Suphavit's panel is awaiting final reports from studies by Ubon Ratchathani University, the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research and a group of fishermen and villagers. Within eight weeks of receiving those studies, his panel would send its recommendations.

According to environmentalist Suchart Sailamai, who led the study recently, the Institute of Scientific and Technological Research concluded that authorities needed to take into consideration villagers' views on the period for which the gates should be opened. Involving local residents in the management of Pak Mun dam is the only way to resolve a long-standing conflict over the opening of its sluice gates, according to a study sponsored by EGAT.

Source:
International Rivers Network

Further to the Thailand government's agreement to open all eight sluice gates of Pak Mun Dam for four months starting June 2001, a cabinet resolution on 11 December 2001 agreed to keep the gates open for one year until June 2002. This would enable the government's working group to complete research into the impact.

According to the source, this is also a result of pressure from the Ubon study team, the committee for social reparations, as well as the villagers who held the long march of 700 kilometers, from the Pak Mun dam in Ubon Ratchathani to the Government House in Bangkok, since 9 October 2001, to campaign for permanent opening of the dam's sluice gates.

At Pak Mun, the water is going down, the rapids are recovering and fish are migrating back to the Mekong. 130 fish species were found and the data collection found that the livelihood of the villagers is recovering. Most of the villagers are able to catch the fish for their food and income. Many of them return to their land along the river, which once was submerged, for growing vegetables.

The villagers at Pak Mun are very happy with the cabinet resolution. However, they still demand that the gates be opened permanently.

Sources:
International Rivers Network
The Nation, December 2001

In April, Hotline issued an update on UA000720(12) Uphold Right to Livelihood of Pak mun Vilagers – THAILAND that the government signed an agreement to open all the spillways of Pak Mun Dam in Ubon Ratchathani during May-August for an environmental impact assessment. Recently, International Rivers Network (IRN) announced that all eight gates of the Pak Mun Dam were finally opened on 2 June. They will remain open for four months. During this period, three studies will be conducted. These studies will cover fisheries, social and environmental impacts; reparations plan for communities affected by the project; and the impact 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.

For background information about the Pak Mun Dam struggle, please refer to UA000720(12) and FU000720(12).

In July 2000, Hotline issued UA000720(12) to support the Pak Mun Dam affected villagers in their fight for rights to livelihood. Completed in 1994, Pak Mun Dam created a lot of problems for the local villagers' livelihood and the ecosystem of Mun River. In July 2000, after meeting the group of the Assembly of the Poor (AOP), who set up a camp to protest around the Government House in Bangkok, the government agreed to open the dam gates temporarily. However, this did not stop other problems of the villagers and violence towards the villagers protesting in the dam site. On 4 April 2001, Hotline issued FU000720(12), a follow-up campaign to support the demands of Pak Mun Dam affected villagers to open the spillways permanently or at least 2 years.

Recent information from International Rivers Network (IRN) confirmed that the Assembly of the Poor (AOP), ended their two-year-long protest on 13 April 2001, after the government signed an agreement to open the spillways of Pak Moon Dam in Ubon Ratchathani during May-August for an environmental impact assessment. A decision will then be made on whether to allow an indefinite spillway opening. Meanwhile at the Pak Mun Dam site, the villagers still hold their protest. [Thousands of villagers have been displaced by dam projects and have no permanent homes. Around 1,000 of them will have to set up shelters on the edge of Pak Mun Dam in Ubon Ratchathani in the northeast of Thailand. For more information about Pak Mun Dam struggle, please refer to UA000720(12).]