The Legend of Kang Sua Ten Dam
Story by Ae, Friends of Burma, http://fobcm.wordpress.com
It had been more than ten years since I heard about the struggle of people against a dam called ‘Kang Sua Ten’ in Phrae province, Northern Thailand. This is a first time that I got a chance to visit one of the strongest people’s movements in Thailand since they have been struggling in 1980s. To protect their communities and the last golden teak forest of Thailand.
Teak tree ordination
We got up in an early cold morning on 28 November 2009 to travel by a pickup truck from Chiang Mai to Kang Sua Ten in Phrae province. To join a tree ordination ceremony that local people there organize for media and people from other places to learn about their struggle and their way of life. I traveled together with Karen youth from Youth Training for Development Program (YT), all of us were 11 people.
Phi Ning is the coordinator of this organization and Can is one of the YT staff. It was exciting for me to visit Can’s home since I have known him for a long time. The young Karen also was exited for visiting another people movement besides their land and forest movement in Chiang Mai. Their parents and communities also have been struggling for their community rights to live and protect their forest for more than 15 years.
Takon Yom Youth Group
Finally, we arrived Sa- iab community at about 11 o’clock. Unfortunately we missed the tree ordination in the morning so later on Kul and Phi Noi brought us to visit some other places around the communities. We took a rest for lunch at the learning center of Takon Yom (sediment of Yom River) Youth Group is located right in the middle of community. I was impressed with all of colorful flags and signs around the center and community. Big signs painted with the strong words to show their oppositions against the dam such as “The forest alive-the people alive, build a dam-people die”, “Our River, Our Lives”. There are also several flags of other people’s movement that they have been a member such as Assembly of the Poor and La Via Campesina, the national and international peasants’ movement in Thailand and other countries.
Teak logs are reused for new house building that will last long for hundred years
We visited some places in Mae Yom National Park together with Kul, Phi Noi, a journalist and people from another province. Yom River is one of the four main rivers in the North flow to Chao Praya river in central plateau. Kang Sua Tem dam was planned since 1985 for irrigation propose which will create a big reservoir and flood over the whole 10 communities in Sa-iab in Song district and some other communities in Chiang Muan district in Payao province. Due to the local people movements as well as other alliances throughout the country and other countries, this project has been pending amidst the controversial debates in Thai society for more than decade. Particularly the issue of last golden teak forest in Thailand that people have been protecting after the cancellation of concession in 1995. The concerns beside environmental and social impacts from flooding are also about the risk of earth quake in the area.
Teak forest will be flooded under the reservoir
Kul took care of us in his community for the whole trip. He and his wife, Bank, work together for an active environmental organization called Living River Siam, they are also a part of our Northern Activist Community in Chiang Mai. Kul and Can have been working for their community about ten years ago.
Water and herbs are used for liquor production as their main income
They were strong leaders of Takon Yom youth group since they were younger. Can is now a member of Amnesty International (AI) and he also helps on supporting the Karen youth and other youth movements in Thailand. There are also other young people from Takon Yom that become activists or development workers that have been supporting other people and environmental movements throughout country more than 10 people. Thin and Tho, sister and brother work for EarthRights International, are also have been successfully supporting the youth in Mekong region.
This paddy field will be under water
Phi Ning, she has been working with youth group and local people here since she was a student in Bangkok. She is one of the activists that supported the people’s movement and youth group. She walked through the community and had a chat to local people like her own home. She arrived here first time in 1994 since Kul and Can were high school students and continued working for several years here before working with other youth groups in the South. Now she works with Karen youth group in Chiang Mai. She never left the movements since she was student as well. Another activist who is an idol for the young people here is Phi Harn, or Harnnarong Yaowalert, a member of National Economic and Social Advisory Council on natural resource sector.
Phi Ning and Kul with us
It is amazing to see these young people that grew up with the problems and pressure together with their parents and community. Although the dam issue in their own community is not very stable yet, they are still able to support other people’s movements strongly. Most of them graduated at bachelor degree and some also got master degree. Actually they are able to find some other good jobs for making money but they choose to stand beside the movement and their own community.
Can sleeps happily on his Kang Sua Ten Land
The continuity from generation to generation has shown the long commitment of activists and local people working on dam as well as other environmental issues. According to the huge benefits from building the dams economically and politically, the local people there cannot stop their struggle. Their power of their spirits have been spreading out everywhere and become seeds of hope in other places.
