In recent days hundreds of farmers, members of the Assembly of Isan Farmers from Surin, Si Saket and Roi Et provinces have been demonstrating in central Bangkok. Sleeping in tents outside the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives they have come to demand compensation from the government for the loss of land caused decades earlier due to ill-conceived dam projects which flooded their land. Today, they handed a letter to the Prime Minister’s office to request the government acknowledge their demands. Their timing is very intentional with another no-confidence vote against the government currently in motion in the Thai Parliament.
One of the issues represented comes from a district in Si Saket province called Rasi Salai, where 30 years ago a dam was built across the River Mun, Thailand’s longest tributary of the River Mekong. Ever since the construction of the dam, the villagers of Rasi Salai have been pushing for adequate compensation following the large loss of land that occurred when the area permanently flooded.
To find out more about the story of Rasi Salai you can visit https://hardstories.org/stories/land-rights/the-story-of-rasi-salai
Photo: The Rasi Salai dam in Si Saket province. Copyright Luke Duggleby/HaRDstories
