The following piece has been compiled through eyewitness reports b y Assembly of the Poor protestors at the Pak Mun Dam site and news reports from the Bangkok Post and The Nation.
On November 19, about 200 men who called themselves "guardians" of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand’s (EGAT) property repeatedly entered and attacked the protest village sites of Mae Mun Man Yuen 1 and Mae Mun Man Yeun 7 at the Pak Mun Dam. The raids took place when only women and elderly villagers were in the camps. Most of the male villagers had left the area for harvesting work.
EGAT’s guardians started by tearing down five houses and then proceeded to set fire to other houses in the village. When village residents tried to protect their homes, they were beaten-up by the attackers. More than 30 village residents were injured, three of them seriously. Many protestors lost their homes, clothes and household items—in fact, their only belongings. At present, more than 150 village residents and protestors affected by the Pak Mun dam still occupy the dam crest at the protest village of Mae Mun Man Yuen 1.
Here is the chronology of events as described by the protestors.
The first incident began at 5.30 a.m. on November 19, when the EGAT "guardians" first entered the village, tore down five houses and set fire to other houses. At 3 p.m. an EGAT guard of more than 100 people again invaded the village and threatened the villagers, asking them to move out of the village. Despite requests from village residents that their belongings not be destroyed, the EGAT guards attacked the villagers and set fire to the whole village. At that time, more than 10 villagers were injured.
At 5.30 p.m., gunshots echoed around the village and then the entire village was set on fire again. At that time more than 20 villagers were injured, three of them seriously. At 7.50 p.m., around 572 houses of Mae Mun Man Yuen 1 Village were completely burned. Residents moved out from Mae Mun Man Yuen to the village of Baan Hua Hue, about 1.7 km. away. Fire-extinguishing units were on the site, but no effort was made to put out the fire. About ten policemen also arrived on the scene but ignored the events.
On 20 November at 6 am, the EGAT "guardians" set the Mae Mun Mun Yuen 1 Village on fire yet again, and the entire village was destroyed by fire.
At 10 am on the same day, Mr Rungrit Makarapong, the Governor of Ubon Rachathani Province (where the Pak Mun Dam is located) arrived at the dam site to ask for more information about the incident. When asked who would be held responsible for the events, Mr Rungrit said that he had no authority in dealing with this violence. Village residents then asked him to resign, or move out to another province.
After the Governor left the scene, the situation became tense again. About 30 men, armed with batons and knives, grouped together near the Mae Mun Man Yuen 7 village began to make a shelter and to observe the goings on in the village. When Mr Pana Chaitrong, one of the protest’s leaders, walked into the area, attempts were made to attack him. When Mr Somphorn Khamsawat, another protest leader and photographer of the Assembly the Poor, took photographs of the burned huts, attempts were made to attack him as well, which fortunately were unsuccessful. Further, village residents from Hua Hew Village reported that EGAT’s officials and hired guardians brought two large sacks containing shotguns. The guns were put at the EGAT’s office east of the Pak Mun Dam. This may be a sign of a stronger attack in planning.
According to the Bangkok Post, EGAT yesterday (19 November) admitted that the group that attacked Pak Moon dam protesters on Sunday was in its employ. Boonlert Mongkholvit, EGAT’s assistant public relations chief, told the Bangkok Post that those involved in the attack (the "guardians") were hired to help the agency take care of the dam. According to EGAT, the hired group was instructed by EGAT to ask the Pak Moon dam protesters to move out of the dam site "politely." Mr Boonlert told the Bangkok Post that insisting that the protesters move out of the dam site was correct: "This act was justified because EGAT and the government have complied with all the protesters’ demands," he said. "It is about time they went home. Their presence has obstructed our work and their shacks on our property and outside Government House are an eyesore." Mr. Boonlert denied the allegation that the EGAT "guardians" had used guns or set fire to the shacks. He also said that reports from EGAT’s local office indicated that police were present when the fight broke out but were unable to intervene and the cause of the fire could not be established. (Bangkok Post, November 20, 2000)
The local police denied that they were part of any conspiracy with EGAT. Pol Maj-Gen Bamrung
Sukpanich, deputy commander of the Ubon Ratchathani police force, said that the protesters had barred them from the site during the brawl, and the police observed the developments from outside because of the on-going confusion. However, police yesterday deployed units to separate the two sides to prevent further violence. Protest leaders have also filed a complaint with police to investigate the incident and act against the raiders.
In Bangkok, a group of dam protesters filed a petition with the Senate. Senator Chermsak Pinthong, who accepted the petition, said there was ground to believe EGAT officials were behind the attack because of the systematic way in which it was conducted. According to him "the Pak Moon problem has dragged on for several years but I have yet to see PM’s Office Minister Savit Bhodivihok [who oversees EGAT] show any clear stance in solving it. This is tantamount to lending support to EGAT to employ violence against the Assembly of the Poor protesters." (Bangkok Post November 20, 2000)
Mr Chermsak asked that EGAT stop using violence as a solution and that the police take action against the EGAT hired guards. He said he would submit the matter to the Senate panels on administration, justice, and human rights. However, this violence is not likely to end soon since the group hired by EGAT are positioned at the local EGAT office, and may attack the protesters again.
For further information about the Pak Mun, please contact the Southeast Asia Rivers Network-Thailand Chapter, 78 Moo 10, Suthep Road, Muang Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Telephone 66-53-278334, Fax 66-53-283609.
Email: searin@chmai.loxinfo.co.th, http://www.searin.org