The forest reclamation policy of the Thai state is another impact on the Mekong riverside villagers in Ubon Ratchathani Province. From the perspective of the policy's author, this policy separates villagers from forests and farmland through subtle mechanisms, including the use of laws to consolidate areas into large forest tracts. This changes the image of villagers from pioneers to invaders. The construction of dams as part of national and regional economic development policies for energy and economic security turns villagers from sustainable individuals into those facing scarcity, as their livelihood options continue to narrow.
From interviews with villagers living along the Mekong River and adjacent to forest areas, it was found that they had settled there long before the state declared the area a national park. The main reason villagers decided to settle in the area was its abundance, being near the Mekong River where they could fish for food and trade for essential goods. Later, they were able to sell fish to generate significant income. At the end of 1991, Pha Taem National Park was declared a national park, with the park's boundaries encompassing approximately 340 square kilometers or 212,500 rai, covering a wide area.
Since the state declared the area, where villagers had been farming, a national park, conflicts over farmland between the state and local residents have arisen. This is particularly true for the overlapping land issues between the national park and the community's farmland, a problem that has persisted for more than 28 years and remains unresolved.
In 2014, after the military government, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), issued Order No. 64/2014 concerning the suppression and cessation of forest encroachment and destruction, known as the 'forest reclamation policy,' the policy had a significant impact on villagers living near national parks and those using degraded forest land for farming across the country. Residents in these areas were accused by officials of encroaching on and destroying reserved forest areas within the parks, leading to arrests, charges, and the eviction of villagers from their farmland.
The demarcation of the national park area by officials was done hastily and with uncertain boundaries. Officials did not allow villagers to participate in proposing the boundaries. They avoided measuring the areas indicated by the villagers and instead focused on measuring open areas that included the villagers' farmland and cultivated areas. Villagers wanted officials to measure their fields and utility areas to show that they had the right to use and occupy those areas.
The management of overlapping areas between farmland and Pha Taem National Park involved various mechanisms that were not straightforward. These included avoiding listening to villagers' opinions and proposals regarding traditional land ownership boundaries, creating ambiguity in measurements and information, and using the law to charge villagers with forest encroachment.
The decline of resources on which the communities along the Mekong River rely, including the river, forests, and land, simultaneously reflects the power of exclusion that transforms abundance into scarcity. This reduction is undermining the options for obtaining food and income, leading to increased risks and uncertainties in current and future livelihoods. The ongoing struggle and negotiations by the public sector are based on unequal power dynamics, making the process of driving resource management initiatives challenging and difficult.
I suggest that a viable solution for managing the dams in the Mekong River should involve a new strategic environmental impact assessment with the participation of civil society, supported by the Mekong River Commission. This is necessary because the previous assessment conducted ten years ago is outdated and does not include the impacts of dams built after 2010, failing to provide a comprehensive view of the effects on the river basin and its inhabitants. As for the forest reclamation policy, I believe that the state should reconsider this policy and emphasize the approach of "people living with the forest to preserve the forest," as proposed by civil society for over 27 years, and incorporate it into the Community Forest Act.
Kanokwan Manorom, Phd, is the Director of the Mekong-Subregion Social Research Center (MSSRC) at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand.
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