Meet Me Halfway

“The problem is that the villagers that we deal with are made up of two groups: those that are willing to listen to what we have to say, and those that do not care to listen because they have their own agenda,” explained the director of The Loei Office of Natural Resources and Environment. This was not the first time our student group had heard such a sentiment. Throughout Unit 5, an underlying theme that we encountered was the fact that the government and villagers are unwilling to work together. Resistance is the name of the game. Neither side will budge. No wonder efforts for substantial progress are at a standstill. At this rate, compromise is an unlikely occurrence.

            This mutual stubbornness from the government and the villagers concerning the development of dams and mines in the Isaan region really resonated with me. Throughout the units leading up to Unit 5, I found myself frustrated and confused due to the lack of compromise between both sides. I did not understand why it was so hard to put aside their differences, create some sort of an agreement and cooperate in harmony. But this unit finally provided me with the answer I was searching for. 

            The Loei Office of Natural Resources and Environment is a government ministry department that focuses on environmental control, resource management, and environmental restoration in Thailand. Although they identify themselves as an environmental organization, after exchanging with them it did not seem as through their job description involved much in the way of protecting the environment of the local villages directly affected by the gold mine. Instead, it seemed as though what their job truly entails is conducting research into the cyanide and arsenic contaminations in the water, and then sending that information off to the health office to deal with. When you look at it from this perspective, it makes sense that the villagers are not entirely willing to cooperate with this office, because they do not actually aid the villagers. And besides, the office is a government ministry department, so it is no wonder that the villagers are reluctant to work with them in solidarity.

            On the other hand, the villagers claim that the government never holds a space to educate them on the projects that are destroying their way of life. Sometimes the government even resolves to evicting them entirely before initiating the construction process. During our exchange with the villagers of Kok Wao and Na Nong Bong, we learned that public participation rarely happens when the government constructs such projects. As Sadsai Sang-Sok, an NGO and member of the Thai People Don’t Want Nuclear Power Plants Network, told our group during Unit 4, “if the government wants to build a dam, then it probably just will anyways without consulting the villagers at all prior to its construction.” It seems as though public opinion does not factor into the decisions made by the local Thai government, and this is an alarming problem. Without public participation, a crucial part of any public project, the villagers are truly blindsided. This lack of transparency between the government and the villagers is disturbing, and reveals just how corrupt the current process in place for the construction of such a project is. The government decides on a project, and without notifying the villagers, begins said project, fully disregarding how it may affect the villagers.

            In our exchange with Governor Phonsak Chiaranai, we were told that the local government has attempted to hold forums for the villagers in order to notify and educate them on current projects, but that no one shows up. However, with the villagers speaking in one of our ears and the government speaking in the other, it is difficult to sort out the truth from the lies. Hearing these conflicting perspectives has helped me make sense of the situation of the gold mine in Loei province as well as the other issues we have previously studied this semester, specifically dams and land rights. Unfortunately, it has also left me feeling less hopeful that justice will eventually be restored to the villagers. Perhaps the dream for compromise is just wishful thinking. But one thing is for certain: the government is never going to become an institution that is powerless and at the mercy of the villagers. The villagers need to understand that, and the government needs to be upfront with the villagers in terms of the projects that will directly affect their livelihood. Moving forward, both sides need to swallow their pride and meet halfway. Without compromise, substantial progress is unlikely to occur in upcoming years.

Sean Burke

University of Pennsylvania 

Energy Security: Thai Perspective

Thailand finds itself at a crossroads. Like many other Southeast Asian countries Thailand has experienced significant economic growth in the last 15 -20 years. Concurrently, Thailand has also seen its energy use increase - a phenomenon common in many industrializing economies. This is a problematic situation for Thailand because it posses very few of its own indigenous energy resources. Consequently Thailand relies heavily on natural gas and oil exports from other countries. Thailand finds itself increasingly vulnerable as it imports more energy and resources from other countries. Much of Thailand’s natural gas imports come from Myanmar, a historically turbulent region prone to civil and political unrest. While most of its oil imports come from the Middle East, which also experiences its own instability from time to time. Unfortunately, acquiring more energy takes more than just flipping a switch. Energy production relies on an increasingly complicated and interdependent set of processes and systems that are vulnerable to disruptions and interferences.  The problem lays in the inherent nature of current energy systems, which rely on finite energy resources – fossil fuels – for energy consumption. Like any other resource that can be exploited, resource competition holds sway in this sector. Lacking its own substantial reserves Thailand must compete on the global market for energy resources, even more so than countries with considerable natural resources. It is clear that securing energy supplies for the Kingdom of Thailand is of paramount importance for the economic well being and continued development of the country in the coming years.

Alex Alvendia

George Washington University

Who’s Got the Power?

One of the greatest problems facing our generation is continuing to supply our global energy demands. Thailand is no exception to this issue, and the problem accompanies both social and environmental inequalities. Especially in Isaan.

Over the past 20 years, energy use in Thailand has grown rapidly to accommodate the dramatic development throughout the country. Private investors dominate the energy business in Thailand and hold an enormous amount of power, both literally and figuratively. 66% of energy use in Thailand is dominated by natural gas, however in Isaan biofuel is largely produced.

Our lecturer, Professor Santiparp Siriwattanapaiboon explained to us that despite being a large producer of energy, Isaan only consumes 8.92% of the total energy used in Thailand, while central and eastern Thailand (Bangkok) guzzles 74.14%. These numbers become staggering when you consider that Isaan comprises 30% of the total land in Thailand. Essentially, Isaan produces a majority of the energy in Thailand, while the rest of the country consumes it.

So herein lies the injustice, the people of Isaan are surrounded by the facilities of private energy companies; dams, biofuel production, nuclear power plants and all the environmental and health consequences that accompany these sites. However, they reap none of the employment or economic benefits of these facilities, nor do they really consume a sizeable portion of the energy produced. The people of Isaan are displaced, their livelihoods threatened, and their safety at risk. They are exploited and sacrificed for the economic benefit of private investors, while unable to profit from the presence of these facilities.

            While on unit we met with NGO worker Sodsai Sang-Sok. Her work challenges the presence of a nuclear power plant in a small village in Isaan. During our exchange, Sodsai explained how nuclear power plants were initially proposed to be built in southern Thailand, but when met with opposition, private companies decided to relocate their sites to Isaan, because the people have less power, and companies therefore met less resistance. So, a biofuel plant capable of producing up to 10,000 megawatts was constructed smack-dab in the middle of this small village. No Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted, nor were the villagers given knowledge or any form of public participation prior to the construction of the plant. Additionally, these villagers do not benefit from any employment with the presence of this plant. All but two jobs on site required degrees in physics, something your average Thai-rural villager tends to lack.

            Whether or not you agree with nuclear power, the presence of this plant (and dozens of other energy production sites in Isaan) presents several injustices. As Sodai Sang-Sok suggested, “I’m not protesting the presence of all nuclear power plants, I’m protesting the ideologies of large scale projects.” While talking to the people during Unit 4, it seemed as though the villagers were more offended by the way in which the government and private companies went about pursuing these projects, as opposed to the presence of the projects themselves. A serious lack of public participation and any sort of transparency insults the villagers, their way of life, and their economic independence.

            The amount of unregulated power these companies hold is really quite frightening. But perhaps what is most frightening, is a short comment Sodai presented, almost in passing, “there is a great possibility there is oil under Isaan.” The devastating amount of exploitation and social conflict this would produce is difficult to imagine. But, what’s another war over oil? With power comes power I suppose.

Hannah Palkowitz

Whitman College

When Faith meets Fireworks

Imagine smoke, everywhere. Not in a way that is unpleasant. It’s just swirling in the air around you, either perfumed with spices or with the sharp smell of gunpowder. In your ears flow Buddhist prayers, interjected with the crack of fireworks nearby. Everything is lit with orange glow of the little candles perching around the temple.

This is Ok Phansa, the celebration of the end of Buddhist lent, which happens once a year at the end of rainy season. We were lucky enough to experience this unique event while on a homestay in Sisaket province. It was beautiful and chaotic and smokey, and a joy to experience with my temporary Sisaket family.

As a Religion major, I had some preconceptions of what Buddhism might be like when coming to Thailand, but the reality of it has been full of surprises. Hoping to participate first hand in Buddhist ceremonies, I was disappointed to find that there were no temples nearby my homebase in Khon Kaen. Fortunately, religious life is more essential and intertwined in village life. I’ve had the opportunity to give alms to monks early in the morning, and I’ve been entangled in several impromptu string-tying ceremonies.

What really strikes me about what I’ve observed of Buddhist religious practice is how relaxed it is… so completely different from the stiff and stillness that exists in the cannon western religious practice. Even while wai-ing and chanting along with the monks, the women present at the temple for Ok Phansa turned to chat and laugh with each other, as fireworks popped and cracked constantly throughout the entire time, lit by the pre-teen rascal boys of the village. Feem, our four year old sister, was much more interested in playing with the dripping orange candle wax than sitting still, and her mother made little attempt to keep her in attention.

The practice was so much more based in action than in silent contemplation. For these villagers, religious observance is carried out through the lighting of candles and the donation of pillows, mats, rice, and banana-leaf-wrapped snacks, accompanied by the carrying out of the rituals of the ceremony; lighting incense that is strung in a vast web across the courtyard, and circling the temple three times with our candles.

If you’ve studied religion even a little bit, you’ve probably learned Émile Durkheim's theory of Collective Effervescence; the idea that just because of the sheer amount of people participating in religious ceremonies (or any other event), an energy is created and felt by those involved that is perceived to be larger than the sum of its parts. 

Never having been particularly religious, explanations like Collective Effervescence are what I have to explain how I felt that night. A unique feeling arose in my chest as we moved slowly with our candles to light the webs of hanging incense. We lit the incense methodically, and fragrant smoke began to swirl around us. This was nothing like anything I had ever experienced before. Maybe all of the smoke was getting to me, but I really felt part of something big, even though I didn’t know what most of our actions were for.

I think we were all grateful to get to experience Ok Phansa, but, at least for me, I’m even more grateful for the persistence of the kind, yet unexplainable actions of our host families. The easy way that they really truly include us as a part of the family, with little ceremony, really makes me feel like I’m part of something much bigger.

Molly Johanson

Whitman College

Girl Power

As college students, our group is aware of the oppression women have faced and still do face, especially in working environments. As a result, we have taken this into account while planning exchanges with women NGOs or villages that have a strong female presence. Our group almost always sets aside a section to ask questions pertaining to whether being women has caused them to face more difficulties in their leadership positions.

            However, quite contrary to our preconceived notions, we have continuously been told that being a woman is actually often advantageous for Thais who are working for change. 

            One of the first places we saw how powerful a group of women could be was during Unit 1 in Yasothon Province, Thailand. Some of the families in this village recognized the harmful effects of pesticides, which influenced them to pivot back to using entirely organic farming practices on their land. To spread this food supply and awareness of this healthy lifestyle, in May of 2008 a group of women in the village came together to form a Green Market. This market has made great strides in the past 4 years; it is open every Saturday with many loyal customers.

            We also encountered this unexpected trend in the villages of Huay Gon Tha and Huay Rahong, in Chaiyaphum Province. These villages have experienced violations of their land rights as a result of the nearby Phu Pha Daeng Wildlife Sanctuary. During our exchange with the villagers, they said that when dealing with confrontation with officers, the women play an important role by being strategically placed at the front of their protests. As a result the officers are less likely to immediately respond in a violent manner, increasing the villagers’ chances of having their concerns be heard. We specifically asked the woman villager present at the exchange if she felt as though she was an equal to the male members in her community while working to obtain land rights. She responded by saying that she had the same voice as the men in her community.  

            During Unit 4 we had an exchange with Sodsai Sang-Sok who is a female NGO for Thai People Do Not Want Nuclear Power Plants. One of the students asked her was whether she faced any difficulties in her leadership role due to her gender. Sodsai Sang-Sok responded by saying that it is easier being a woman because women tend to be more compassionate than men. This allows females to be diplomatic in order to make the changes that NGOs are working to accomplish actually materialize. 

            This strong female presence is not as unlikely as our group expected it to be. There is an entire social movement referred to as Ecofeminism, which argues that the oppression of women and the environment is interconnected. Since women have a history of exploitation, they can relate to the experience of nature, which does not have a voice of its own.

            Even though we went into these exchanges assuming that the stereotyped characteristics of being a woman would be a disadvantage for Thai women, we have learned that these are the exact qualities that give them an advantage in their movements. The many Thai women we have met with have taught us that being compassionate is not a weakness; rather it is a tool to make a difference, especially while working with opposing parties.

Galen Hiltbrand

Georgetown University