Showing 1 - 8 of 8
Dam plans threaten forests
News, Pratch Rujivanarom, Published on 02/02/2022
» Two of Thailand's World Heritage sites are at risk of getting downgraded as they face threats from development projects being pursued by the government, environmentalists warn.
Who gets to lease the East?
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 21/05/2017
» When Gunn Tattiyakul, a villager from the Bang Khla district of Chachoengasao, learned that his province was chosen as a development site for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), an ambitious government project, he couldn't help but worry.
Highway to the danger list?
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 13/03/2016
» Activist Srisuwan Janya was stunned by the number of fallen and missing trees by the roadside of Highway 304, which cuts through the Unesco World Heritage-listed Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex.
Some serious monkey business
News, Supoj Wancharoen, Published on 29/08/2015
» At sunrise, a troop of long-tailed macaques forages in the mangroves in Bang Khunthian district, as they have been doing for years. These animals are no doubt aware of the disappearing forest and the incursion of sealed roads as they scavenge among trash for increasingly scarce food.
Carrying the weight of uncertainty
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 09/02/2015
» Under the purple and orange hue of dawn, our bus arrived at the base of Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei province. We had our tents, sleeping bags and backpacks as we got ready to trek one of the most gruelling uphill climbs in the country — a steep slope of 5.5km to the top of this popular mountain destination, which takes anywhere from four to eight hours.
Voices of the dammed
Spectrum, Piyaporn Wongruang, Published on 17/11/2013
» Thong feels lost in both senses of the word. After being told the plan to build a dam on the nearby Mae Wong stream had been revived, the cassava farmer, who preferred to use a pseudonym, feels defeated in his campaign to oppose the project. He is also unsure of which direction his life will take in the wake of the decision.
Paving a piece of paradise
Spectrum, Piyaporn Wongruang, Published on 27/10/2013
» Dech Khieonarong is one of many residents of Tak's Umphang district who cheered when the government announced it was reviving a plan to construct a new road from Khlong Lan to the remote town in the midst of a protected wilderness. Weary of traversing the 164km of arduous road with, by his count, more than 1,000 hairpin curves, he volunteered to head a committee of locals to push for the construction of the ''new'' Khlong Lan-Umphang road, a large part of which was actually constructed more than 40 years ago by the military as part of its efforts to suppress communist insurgents. The military managed to cut 115km of road through the deep forest inside Mae Wong National Park, 30km from Umphang in the 1970s. The military backed off on completing the road to Umphang because of objections that it would compromise the Western Forest Complex. Over the years the military road fell into disuse and is now overgrown and impassable in some places.
Talking the walk
Spectrum, Piyaporn Wongruang, Published on 13/10/2013
» Seub Nakhasathien Foundation secretary-general Sasin Chalermlarp, 45, made headlines three weeks ago after undertaking an unprecedented long-distance walk to protest against the planned dam in Mae Wong National Park. The journey took him from Nakhon Sawan province to the heart of Bangkok, where he was welcomed by thousands of supporters. Spectrum interviewed him after the mission was completed.