Environmental Law Conference Visits Thai Mining Village

Secluded in the mountains of northern Thailand lies a massive lignite coal-fired power plant equipped with fourteen generating units with a total capacity of 2,625 Megawatts. Mae Moh, Thailand’s largest mine, began operating on a small scale in the 1960s and was significantly expanded in the 1980s. Every year approximately 1.6 million tonnes of acidic sulfur gas is released into the air from this power plant, resulting in severe health problems for local people and irreversible damage to the natural environment.

Since the inception of the Mae Moh coal-fired power plant, more than 30,000 people have been displaced from their homes, thousands have experienced severe respiratory problems and four lawsuits have been filed against the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). More than 600 villagers suffer from acute respiratory problems caused by the inhalation and exposure to sulfur dioxide emitted from the mine. Coal dust consisting of toxic chemicals has been carried by winds into rivers, reservoirs and nearby communities in the Mae Moh valley.

The affected villagers turned to the law to assert their rights and seek justice for their suffering. In 1998 the first lawsuit against a government entity over hardship caused by a major infrastructure project was launched by victims in Mae Moh district. An occupational health doctor has confirmed that the villagers’ respiratory problems developed from inhaling poisonous gas emissions from the nearby mine. Three additional lawsuits have been filed by the same affected communities claiming damage for health deterioration, physical and mental grievances, compensation for medical expenses, and for damage to farmers’ crops and useable land.

In May 2004 the Thai Provincial court awarded 5.7 million Baht (US$142,500) to the villagers for crop damage caused by the power plant. This is one victory, yet scores of people continue to suffer from major respiratory complications, and most villagers are unable to afford medical treatment. The extreme levels of pollution reached its peak in 1996 when six villagers died of blood poisoning and in 1999 when several hundreds became seriously ill. Today, nearly 300 people have lost their lives as a result of inhaling deadly chemicals from the power plant.

The affected communities have expressed four demands:

1. Repatriation of the three most affected villages to locations at least five kilometers away from the mine stated in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA);
2. To provide doctors trained in occupational health to investigate the causes of the respiratory illnesses of the villagers and provide treatment;
3. Compensation for villagers’ ill health and medical expenses;
4. Efforts should be made to restore and protect the environment in the area of the mine.

In late July, EarthRights International convened a Public Interest Environmental Law conference gathering environmental lawyers from Cambodia, Thailand and Burma to share ideas about how to better protect the environment as well as learn from each country’s experience developing environmental legal mechanisms. The highlight of this regional exchange was a visit to the Mae Moh power plant and meeting with the affected villagers and community organizers. Seeing the mine firsthand, listening to the accounts of affected communities and sitting with one individual who needed to use an oxygen tank to breathe were profound ways to fully understand the human and environmental impacts of the Mae Moh power plant.

As a result of sulfur dioxide pollution from the power plant in the surrounding communities, villagers have formed the Network of Occupational Health Sufferers in Thailand, which is dedicated to organizing those who have been adversely affected by the mine. The Network is an inspiration, exemplifying how the power of law and the power of people are defending human rights and the environment.