NCPO's heavy hand casts cloud on rights

After the NCPO staged the coup 12 months ago on this day, more than 100 mining licences have either been renewed or issued with locals remaining in the dark about what has been going on. 

It is hard for local leaders or local environmentalists to mobilise residents in the same neighbourhood to block a project that may have serious impacts on the local environment and their health during the NCPO period. 

If they hold a big gathering – even to provide information on possible adverse impacts from a project - they will attract the attention of soldiers. 

Chainarong Srethachua, a lecturer of the Mahasarakam University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, said he had received a summons from the Maha Sarakham branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) only because he planned to stage a seminar in a classroom. 

The seminar sought to address the case in which locals cried foul over the deployment of troops to help Apico trucks carrying a drilling rig move past protesting locals in the Ban Na Mun, Tambon Dun Sad in Khon Kaen’s Kranuan district. Locals there staged the protest against Apico out of concern that its new oil well sits too close to their neighbourhood and might affect their health. 

“The NCPO should be able to tell the difference between security issues and community efforts to protect their rights,” the lecturer said. He added that the Isoc even sent soldiers to his seminar venue. 

Military presence is also heavy whenever locals gather at forums held to gather people’s opinions on projects approved by the government or central government agencies.

“How will locals muster the courage to speak up when they see detention-cell trucks nearby and video cameras are on all the time?” Chainarong said.

 

Conflicts expected in the future

Surachai Trongngam, secretary-general of the EnlawThai Foundation, believes after the NCPO steps down, licences issued or renewed during its period will run into trouble. 

“A conflict will arise in the future because when impacts from these projects are felt, locals will rise up to complain that the projects have failed to listen to their opinions and did not include local participation,” he said. 

He also pointed out the Ban Na Dun case as a solid example of how state or security officials ignored the voice of locals. 

He said locals had real concerns about how the Apico operation would affect their neighbourhood. 

“Any explosion from an oil rig at the nearby well can affect artesian water sources,” he said, “Gas from the rigging operation may also harm people’s health. Moderate exposure may not cause deaths. But still, it can cause eye irritations and affect the respiratory system. All such problems have been experienced by some communities before. 

According to Surachai, locals in Ban Na Mun can gather because they have received information on the project before.

“Elsewhere, some communities can’t even make a strong case against questionable projects because of the strict measures used by the NCPO,” said Decha Kambaomuang of the Isan Rights and Liberty Centre. 

He said soldiers would show up every time locals planned to stage a gathering. 

“So, it’s almost impossible to give information to people,” he said, “When soldiers show up, people of course feel uncomfortable joining the gathering”. 

Decha said his centre had tried to protect community rights by staging small gatherings, events that would hardly attract authorities’ attention. 

“But impacts are small each time,” he said. 

Decha said the NCPO-installed government seemed to see many mining operations and petroleum explorations, which were taking place in the Northeast, as good for the country’s economy.

“But what about local people’s rights? What about their rights to protect themselves and their communities?” he said. 

Surachai said the NCPO should give people a channel to make their voices heard. 

“Don’t exclude people, particularly in big projects that will affect their lives and communities,” he said.