There's a time when a soft touch can win
SAOWALAK KONGPAKPOON,
BOONCHU SRITRAIPOP
THE NATION September 14, 2013 1:00 am
IT WAS a subtle strategy that brought several university students to their knees in front of some police officers last Sunday.
The image went viral on the Internet and gained immediate public attention.
"We want the government and the public to know that local people are suffering from the gold mining," a Khon Kaen University student, who identified himself only as "Pai", said.
He was one of the students who implemented this subtle strategy in Loei province on September 8 - the day that Thung Kham Co was holding a public forum to announce its plan to expand its gold-mining efforts. Police were deployed to ensure that the forum went ahead despite the protesting villagers, who have been suffering from bad health and pollution caused by the mining operations.
"We heard the police had batons and shields. Apparently, their mission was to ensure the public forum went ahead at all costs. So, we thought that if the villagers used old tactics, a clash might erupt, causing more damage," Pai said.
He then decided to speak to the locals and they all agreed to take up peaceful measures.
So, his group, the "Mee Dam 12" or Black Bear 12, named because all the students have dark skin, got together - peacefully.
"This strategy was to win a tough situation with softness," he said.
Pai and his friends dressed in university uniforms gathered near the forum site to speak to the policemen in a gentle manner.
"We asked the police to let the villagers enter the venue, but our request was rejected," Pai said. Then he and his group members locked their arms together and moved towards the police line.
"We tried to push through, but in a humorous manner, without using force.
"During that time, we also spoke about people's deteriorating health," he said.
Pai said some police officers empathised with the locals but said they could not disobey orders. Then Pai and his friends produced pillows carrying the message "shield".
"We also did other things to show our solidarity as students, like singing and doing push-ups. We also gave the police officers some water," he said. But, their voices were only heard when they went down on their knees, pressed their palms together and talked about how the locals were suffering with illnesses from the pollution.
"I saw some police officers and villagers shed a tear or two," Pai said, adding that though the Mee Dam 12 strategy only lasted an hour, it had a long-lasting impact.
"The villagers' voices were finally heard. The public forum went ahead, but it did not seem to have any legitimacy anymore," Pai concluded.
With this case finally under the public spotlight, Thung Kham has agreed to speak to the affected villagers.
