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COMMENTARY

A sad loss in this fight for the poor

VASANA CHINVARAKORN

They both died quietly, and one rather unexpectedly. The recent deaths of the two men would probably have gone unreported in most mainstream media. To the public, Nantachote Chairat and Pichet Butpala were likely to be considered nonentities. But for the grassroots movement in Thailand, they played a pivotal role in supporting the ongoing efforts of the underprivileged nationwide in demanding social justice - each in his dogged and selfless manner.

Nantachote was an adviser of the Assembly of the Poor, a dedicated social activist who spent years living and working with the rural folk without seeking personal gain. In the words of a friend: "Brother Pui [Nanthachote's nickname] never turned his back on the people he worked for. Nor did he ever try to transform himself into an academic, a researcher, writer or artist, or exploit [his opportunity] to apply for scholarships to study overseas" like several of his peers may have done, she noted.

Pichet, known among his journalist friends as Ae Yak (Ae the Giant) for his substantial size, was a former staff member of Khao Sod newspaper. An active environmental reporter, he covered a wide range of issues - from the plight of the fisherfolk at Pak Moon Dam to the Karen villagers affected by the Klity lead mine and the protest against the Thai-Burmese gas pipeline project in Kanchanaburi. Pichet's years at Khao Sod paralleled the boom in environmental journalism in Thailand. Such was the golden age of Thai newsprint media before the present morph into a bunch of brick-sized papers full of slick, ever-shortened articles. For the motto of most papers nowadays is that one must be able to finish reading everything in one loo-sitting, isn't it?

Still in their mid-30s, both men passed away last week. Nantachote was hit by a car on May 2 while driving with his second son and two colleagues in Ubon Ratchathani. His son was pronounced dead the following day.

Pichet succumbed to liver cancer on May 5 in his hometown in Khon Kaen.

As if a play on fate, the day Pichet departed this world was the same day the Administrative Court passed a verdict, after four years of legal wrangling, that the Pollution Control Department must pay compensation of 743,000 baht to the 22 Karen villagers of Lower Klity for their "loss of opportunities and loss of their right to live in a clean environment".

As one of the first few reporters to cover the issue right from day one, Pichet might have laughed at the news. Both as a sign of congratulations to the Karen and a chuckle at the pathetic redress measures adopted by the state authority. And to top it all, a concession was recently issued to renew the operations of a nearby lead mine (which has been another disaster in its own right). Meanwhile, there has been no attempt whatsoever to dredge up the toxic lead from Klity creek which is the bloodline of hundreds of ethnic folk in the area.

It has also been a long wait for the Pak Moon people and other members of the Assembly of the Poor. Shortly before the fatal accident, Nanthachote followed his Isan friends to "remind" the government of its promise to reopen the Pak Moon dam for four months a year. "Yes, it was the same old problem, but we had to do it, otherwise our brothers and sisters would have fared much worse," he reportedly told a friend that day.

Incidentally, the cremation rites of both Nanthachote and Pichet will be held tomorrow, in Ubon Ratchathani and Khon Kaen, respectively. They will likely be non-events, attended by only close family and associates. Their departure will not signal the end of any era or chapter in history - their humble persona would have precluded their making any such grand claims.

But having fewer people like these two, people who care enough for the well-being of others outside their immediate circle, makes our society a little less friendlier place to live in. And that certainly is a worrying prospect.

Vasana Chinvarakorn is a senior writer for Outlook, Bangkok Post.