Follow this experiential learning trip through the eyes of MLAI participant Kanakphorn Janphloi, a member of Thai Volunteer Service working at ERI.
I joined MLAI to gain experience and learn legal and policy strategies with participants from across the Mekong region. On the trip to Chiang Rai, Thailand, we visited Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group on the Mekong River. Rak Chiang Khong is a role model for those working to defend local Mekong communities’ rights in the face of development projects that affect their livelihoods.
This map titled “Chiang Khong – Special and Amazing City” – was made by members of Rak Chiang Khong. Jeerasak Inthayod, a Rak Chiang Khong team member, explains their work and tactics, including campaigning and legal strategies, to stop both the Pak Beng dam on the Mekong River and projects to blast apart rapids on the Mekong to make room for Chinese riverboat transportation. The Pake Beng dam would displace 6,700 people and is one of 11 dams planned for the lower Mekong – a cascade of development that threatens the food security of 48 million people.
Nueng, ERI Mekong Legal Associate , facilitates a conversation about the Pak Beng case study, translating from Thai to English for participants from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam so they can learn from and exchange experiences.
Chiang Khong is located on the Thai side of the Mekong River, across from Huay Xai in northern Laos. For generations, local people from both sides have relied on the Mekong for food – including fisheries and river bank agriculture – as well as tourism and transportation. As 11 hydropower projects are currently planned for the mainstream of the lower Mekong alone, this all may change.
We perform songs and dances for one another, to get a better understanding of how our differences don’t interfere with our communication and learning.
After a long day, we relax in the evening with open discussions as we exchange ideas and share our cultures. We enjoy the music of the Rak Chiang Khong band, building strong relationships and lasting memories.
MLAI focuses on the power of the new generation to learn, share, support one another, and create change. The main propose of the Chiang Khong trip is to encourage participations to discuss the case study of the Pak Beng dam and brainstorm legal and campaign strategies to address similar problems in their own communities.
We listen to stories from Niwat “Kru Tee” Roykeaw, who has dedicated his life to protecting the Mekong River. Kru Tee believes that the Mekong River provides livelihoods for people across the Mekong region – his stories made us understand the reasons to fight for rights and the environment. This experience is important for me and for the other MLAI participants because we can adapt this knowledge to use in our lives and work.
MLAI participant Pham Van Dung discusses how environmental laws and political spaces vary across the Mekong countries, and asks how he might adapt the legal and campaign strategies from the Pak Beng case to his own context.
“Kru Tee is a person who is passionate about his community. He has been inspiring me a lot. I appreciate his mindset. His work is not only focused on Thailand, but on a transboundary story. He wants to protect the ecosystem not only for himself or his family, but for all the Mekong people. He has a mindset as a global citizen.” – Dung Hoang, an MLAI participant from Vietnam
The unique ecosystems of the Mekong River, flowing between Chiang Khong and Huay Xai, include rapids, islets, rocky areas, and sandy river beaches. The Chinese government plans to clear rapids and islets from the Mekong River to allow ships carrying up to 500 tons to travel from southern China to Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.
Jeerasak Inthayod, a member of Rak Chiang Khong, and Neung, ERI Mekong Legal Associate, explains how the Khon Pi Luang rapid is very important for local people’s livelihoods. Jeerasak described how Khon Pi Luang marks a narrow section of the Mekong River, well-known among local fishermen as a place where giant catfish lay their eggs. In dry season, local people collect kai – an eatable river weed that provides a vital source of income for many families.
Visiting the Mekong River, we gain a better understanding of the struggles that local communities along the river face.
MLAI participants pose with Kru Tee by the Mekong River.
