Living River Siam
Encyclopedia
Living River Siam is a Thai
non-governmental organization
(NGO) which analyzes the impact of Thailand's various dam projects and coordinates the research of indigenous peoples to give Thai villagers the power to document the influence of local rivers and dams. Founded in 1999, it gained prominence during the Pak Mun Dam
study period in 2001, when it developed a method for instructing villagers on how to document the effects of the dammed river on their lives. When the Thai government proposed other dam sites, Living River Siam took its research methods to the villages surrounding those sites as well. Today, the organization works with other NGOs in Southeast Asia
to counter government-sponsored research that encourages dam construction.
Day of Action, by a group of NGO workers and Thai academics. Its first action, on March 23, was to support an occupation of the Pak Mun Dam site by 5,000 villagers. The Pak Mun Dam, funded partially by the World Bank
, was built in 1994 and slowly became the focus of national controversy. It received widespread complaints from Thai villagers and was the focus of the Assembly of the Poor
's 99-day, 20,000-person protest in Bangkok in 1997. The dam generates 0.5 percent of Thailand's electric capacity; 40 percent of Thailand's total electric capacity goes unused on an everyday basis.
On June 16, 2001, the Thai government under Thaksin Shinawatra
agreed to open the sluice
gates of the Pak Mun Dam for four months to allow studies to be conducted on its social impact; this was later extended to thirteen months. Coinciding with this agreement, the government announced that official studies would be conducted by Ubon Ratchathani University
and a private team contracted by the National Economic and Social Development Board. The university received a budget of 10 million baht (roughly $280,000 USD), and the government contractors, alleged to be the same group that recommended damming another river, received 94 million baht (roughly $2,700,000 USD), raising suspicions. Villagers felt the outside academics would not be able to make an objective or accurate study of the river because they were unfamiliar with local fish migration
and habitat
s.
by allowing villagers to investigate and document, with their own language and on their own terms, every aspect of their life on the river. The only function of the overseeing organization is to compile the villagers' data and publish it for others to read. Living River Siam refers to this in English as "Thai Baan research".
The Mun River
research documented the spawning grounds, migration patterns, habitats, and preferred baits of 137 species of fish. Originally, there were 265 species in the river; 220 of these disappeared when the river was dammed, and only 92 reappeared when the sluice gates were opened, meaning that the diversity of the Mun ecosystem had already been severely reduced by the dam. There were 104 species that migrated between the Mekong
and Mun rivers, meaning the dam endangered the Mekong's ecosystem as well. Thai villagers took photos of all of the fish and counted the number of fish caught before and after the opening of the gates. Over 200 villagers volunteered for the study, and divided themselves up into groups to survey the sub-ecosystems of rapids, channel
s, eddies
, small waterfalls, drinking wells, don islands, bok hin pools, khum pools, wang pools, huu holes, lhum hin stone pockets, kon shallows, kan underwater rapids, and luang fishing grounds.
The use of small and large fish in the local economy was analyzed. Researchers found that while the less common large fish are sold for profit, the diet of Pak Mun villagers consisted mostly of small fish which can be caught in both the wet and dry seasons. Small fish are eaten, sold for money, and traded with the hill peoples for rice.
The villages documented changes in their towns as a result of the opening of the sluice gates. Fishermen who had been forced to leave for the city returned to their homes, the increase in fish caused a boom in the rural economy, in fishing and tourism. Villagers were able to hold religious ceremonies in important riverside spaces.
. The Ubon Ratchathani University study also recommended keeping the sluice gates open for at least five years. However, the Thai government rejected all of the studies for unclear reasons and instead conducted a three-day opinion poll of a random sample of Thais, after which it decided that the gates would stay closed for eight out of twelve months of the year. In 2007, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont
decided to close the gates permanently, citing an alleged secret agreement between thousands of villagers and the Internal Security Operations Command
.
The response from non-governmental organizations has been more favorable. The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme (MWBP), an international alliance managed by the United Nations Development Programme
and World Conservation Union
, has published a study on the methodology
of Thai Baan research and coordinated their own study in Sri Songkham district in 2004, concluding that it was more useful than top-down styles of village research. The study overseen by the MWBP was cited in an academic journal and submitted to an international conference. Living River Siam's spokesperson Pianporn Deetes was invited to a United Nations Environment Programme
conference on dams.
In 2002 the Thai government’s department of irrigation met the demands of Living River Siam and the Assembly of the Poor with a promise to halt all future dam projects, which was accepted with cautious optimism. To circumvent the issue of domestic damming, in 2007 the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
(EGAT) announced plans to build a series of dams on Burma's Salween River
along its border with Thailand. Living River Siam opposed this plan, citing the threat of environmental destruction in Burma's Shan, Karenni
, and Karen
states as well as Mae Hong Son
province.
The Mekong River remained free of dams until 1993 because of its complex system of rapids which wreck boats, and the unusual monsoon season which reverses the course of some of its branches. In 2004, the Thai government made an agreement with China to open the river to commercial navigation by destroying rapids, which Thai Baan research had identified as important fish spawning
grounds. On the Chinese side, dams were constructed. Living River Siam gathered additional Thai Baan surveys from 146 villagers in Amphoe Chiang Khong
, which determined that the blasting of rapids had made the river water unsuitable for drinking and bathing, washed away many local riverside gardens, and decimated the populations of local plants and fish. In response to the 2004 studies, the Thai government suspended blasting on one of the rapids, the Khon Pi Luang.
, Phrae Province
(part of Mae Yom National Park
), based on their own experiences and history. It was called Chaobaan research, but the methodology was equivalent to the Thai Baan research. The report examined the ecosystem of the residents of Sa-iap, the vegetables and fungi they subsisted on, medicinal herbs they used, local fauna, wood resources, and their culture.
The report divided Sa-iap history into four periods. Before 1937, the village was self-sustaining and used both farming and gathering for the overwhelming majority of its needs. In 1937, the Thai government allowed private companies to log the forest, destroying part of the villages' infrastructure. In 1957, the villagers entered the employ of the logging companies, causing internal and external conflict as well as increased reliance on unsustainable practices. Finally, in 1991 the villagers formed a conservation group, the Forest Lover Group, which the Chaobaan researchers agreed cut down on conflict. The mood of the villages has returned to one of mutual assistance and traditional customs.
was completed in 1994, around the same time as the Pak Mun Dam, and received similar local complaints. The dam's central reservoir was occupied for two years by villagers, until a July 2000 decision opened the sluice gates. From 2003 to 2004, Living River Siam coordinated Thai Baan research in three districts: Amphoe Rasi Salai
, Amphoe Rattanaburi
, and Amphoe Phon Sai
. The report examined village culture, ecology, biodiversity, agriculture, and food and water management. The impact of the closing and opening of the sluice gates was also examined. It was concluded that the dam reduced fish populations, but more importantly, flooded natural salt pits and spread them into rice and vegetable fields, destroying trees and crops. The government has not made a commitment to keep the Rasi Salai Dam out of commission, but as of 2008 the gates have not yet been closed.
opposed these claims, saying China's dams had little to do with the flood, although they also pressed China for data on the floodwaters. The back-and-forth was covered heavily in Thai press, which gave ample space to the statements of the People's Network.
organizations in Thai Baan research, beginning with the Vietnam Rivers Network and expanding to a Chinese group in 2007. In 2008 they worked with the Burma Rivers Network to conduct research on the Salween River
. They also assisted a United Nations-funded NGO, the Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme (MWBP), with running Thai Baan research in 2004. Living River Siam, along with the MWBP, organizes cross-basin coordination between Thai Baan research groups.
Living River Siam has compiled the research and oral accounts of Thai villagers into many publications, which they make available on their website. Its published books document local knowledge about fish, the results of village research, a how-to manual for Thai Baan research, and citizens' guides to defending Thai rivers and communities. They also have produced posters of fish species and dams, pamphlets on fishing gear, and short documentaries about the river.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO) which analyzes the impact of Thailand's various dam projects and coordinates the research of indigenous peoples to give Thai villagers the power to document the influence of local rivers and dams. Founded in 1999, it gained prominence during the Pak Mun Dam
Pak Mun dam
The Pak Mun Dam is a gravity dam located 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun and Mekong rivers in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand...
study period in 2001, when it developed a method for instructing villagers on how to document the effects of the dammed river on their lives. When the Thai government proposed other dam sites, Living River Siam took its research methods to the villages surrounding those sites as well. Today, the organization works with other NGOs in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
to counter government-sponsored research that encourages dam construction.
Pak Mun Dam protests
Living River Siam was launched on March 14, 1999, the International RiversInternational Rivers
International Rivers is a non-profit, non-governmental, environmental and human rights organization based in Berkeley, California, United States...
Day of Action, by a group of NGO workers and Thai academics. Its first action, on March 23, was to support an occupation of the Pak Mun Dam site by 5,000 villagers. The Pak Mun Dam, funded partially by the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, was built in 1994 and slowly became the focus of national controversy. It received widespread complaints from Thai villagers and was the focus of the Assembly of the Poor
Assembly of the Poor
Thai: สมัชชาคนจน) is a non-governmental organization in Thailand. Its aim is to help those affected by development projects and industries to become involved inthe process of development, so that they benefit from those projects.-Thailand: Assembly of the Poor:...
's 99-day, 20,000-person protest in Bangkok in 1997. The dam generates 0.5 percent of Thailand's electric capacity; 40 percent of Thailand's total electric capacity goes unused on an everyday basis.
On June 16, 2001, the Thai government under Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
agreed to open the sluice
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
gates of the Pak Mun Dam for four months to allow studies to be conducted on its social impact; this was later extended to thirteen months. Coinciding with this agreement, the government announced that official studies would be conducted by Ubon Ratchathani University
Ubon Ratchathani University
Ubon Ratchathani University was established as a campus of Khon Kaen University, Thailand, in 1987. It gained independent university status in 1990.-History :...
and a private team contracted by the National Economic and Social Development Board. The university received a budget of 10 million baht (roughly $280,000 USD), and the government contractors, alleged to be the same group that recommended damming another river, received 94 million baht (roughly $2,700,000 USD), raising suspicions. Villagers felt the outside academics would not be able to make an objective or accurate study of the river because they were unfamiliar with local fish migration
Fish migration
Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousands of kilometres...
and habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s.
Thai Baan research
In response, Living River Siam developed Ngan Wijai Thai Baan (งานวิจัยไทบ้าน), or "research by Thai villagers". This sort of research is meant to circumvent the traditional approach to anthropological studyCultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans, collecting data about the impact of global economic and political processes on local cultural realities. Anthropologists use a variety of methods, including participant observation,...
by allowing villagers to investigate and document, with their own language and on their own terms, every aspect of their life on the river. The only function of the overseeing organization is to compile the villagers' data and publish it for others to read. Living River Siam refers to this in English as "Thai Baan research".
The Mun River
Mun River
The Mun River , sometimes spelled Moon River, is a tributary of the Mekong river. It carries approximately 21,000 cubic kilometres of water per year.-Geography:...
research documented the spawning grounds, migration patterns, habitats, and preferred baits of 137 species of fish. Originally, there were 265 species in the river; 220 of these disappeared when the river was dammed, and only 92 reappeared when the sluice gates were opened, meaning that the diversity of the Mun ecosystem had already been severely reduced by the dam. There were 104 species that migrated between the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
and Mun rivers, meaning the dam endangered the Mekong's ecosystem as well. Thai villagers took photos of all of the fish and counted the number of fish caught before and after the opening of the gates. Over 200 villagers volunteered for the study, and divided themselves up into groups to survey the sub-ecosystems of rapids, channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
s, eddies
Eddy (fluid dynamics)
In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing fluid on the downstream side of the object...
, small waterfalls, drinking wells, don islands, bok hin pools, khum pools, wang pools, huu holes, lhum hin stone pockets, kon shallows, kan underwater rapids, and luang fishing grounds.
The use of small and large fish in the local economy was analyzed. Researchers found that while the less common large fish are sold for profit, the diet of Pak Mun villagers consisted mostly of small fish which can be caught in both the wet and dry seasons. Small fish are eaten, sold for money, and traded with the hill peoples for rice.
The villages documented changes in their towns as a result of the opening of the sluice gates. Fishermen who had been forced to leave for the city returned to their homes, the increase in fish caused a boom in the rural economy, in fishing and tourism. Villagers were able to hold religious ceremonies in important riverside spaces.
Government reaction and other responses
The results of the Thai Baan research were supported by several academics, including Niti Pawakapan of Chulalongkorn UniversityChulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...
. The Ubon Ratchathani University study also recommended keeping the sluice gates open for at least five years. However, the Thai government rejected all of the studies for unclear reasons and instead conducted a three-day opinion poll of a random sample of Thais, after which it decided that the gates would stay closed for eight out of twelve months of the year. In 2007, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont
Surayud Chulanont
General Surayud Chulanont is a Thai political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's Interim Government between 2006 and 2008...
decided to close the gates permanently, citing an alleged secret agreement between thousands of villagers and the Internal Security Operations Command
Internal Security Operations Command
The Internal Security Operations Command is a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security issues. It was responsible for suppression of leftist groups during the 1970s and 1980s during which it was implicated in numerous atrocities against activists and civilians. The modern ISOC was...
.
The response from non-governmental organizations has been more favorable. The Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme (MWBP), an international alliance managed by the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
and World Conservation Union
World Conservation Union
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges." The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of...
, has published a study on the methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
of Thai Baan research and coordinated their own study in Sri Songkham district in 2004, concluding that it was more useful than top-down styles of village research. The study overseen by the MWBP was cited in an academic journal and submitted to an international conference. Living River Siam's spokesperson Pianporn Deetes was invited to a United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
conference on dams.
In 2002 the Thai government’s department of irrigation met the demands of Living River Siam and the Assembly of the Poor with a promise to halt all future dam projects, which was accepted with cautious optimism. To circumvent the issue of domestic damming, in 2007 the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand , , is a state enterprise that owns and manages the majority of Thailand's electricity generation capacity, as well as the nation's transmission network.EGAT is managed by the Ministry of Energy....
(EGAT) announced plans to build a series of dams on Burma's Salween River
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
along its border with Thailand. Living River Siam opposed this plan, citing the threat of environmental destruction in Burma's Shan, Karenni
Karenni
Red Karen also known as Karenni, is a subgroup of the Karen people, a Sino-Tibetan people living mostly in Kayah State of Burma....
, and Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
states as well as Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son ) is a town in north west Thailand, capital of the Mae Hong Son Province. It is located in the Shan Hills, near the border with Burma along the banks of the river Pai...
province.
Additional research
Since 2004, Living River Siam has employed its research methods in other threatened locations across rural Thailand.Amphoe Chiang Khong
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
grounds. On the Chinese side, dams were constructed. Living River Siam gathered additional Thai Baan surveys from 146 villagers in Amphoe Chiang Khong
Amphoe Chiang Khong
Chiang Khong is a district in the northeastern part of Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Wiang Kaen, Khun Tan, Phaya Meng Rai, Wiang Chiang Rung, Doi Luang, Chiang Saen of Chiang Rai Province. To the east is Bokeo province of Laos...
, which determined that the blasting of rapids had made the river water unsuitable for drinking and bathing, washed away many local riverside gardens, and decimated the populations of local plants and fish. In response to the 2004 studies, the Thai government suspended blasting on one of the rapids, the Khon Pi Luang.
Kaeng Sua Ten
In 2006, in response to renewed plans for dam construction in Kaeng Sua Ten, Living River Siam released a report on the people of Sa-iap, Amphoe SongAmphoe Song
Song is the northernmost district of Phrae Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Rong Kwang, Nong Muang Khai, Long of Phrae Province, Mae Mo, Ngao of Lampang Province, Dok Khamtai, Chiang Muan of Phayao Province, Ban Luang and Wiang Sa of Nan Province.The Mae Yom...
, Phrae Province
Phrae Province
Phrae is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Lampang.-Geography:Phrae is located in the valley of the river Yom.-History:...
(part of Mae Yom National Park
Mae Yom National Park
Mae Yom National Park is a national park in Phrae Province, Thailand. The Yom River flows through the park. The land is mountainous and fertile, and there are naturally grown teak trees.-Park Forests:...
), based on their own experiences and history. It was called Chaobaan research, but the methodology was equivalent to the Thai Baan research. The report examined the ecosystem of the residents of Sa-iap, the vegetables and fungi they subsisted on, medicinal herbs they used, local fauna, wood resources, and their culture.
The report divided Sa-iap history into four periods. Before 1937, the village was self-sustaining and used both farming and gathering for the overwhelming majority of its needs. In 1937, the Thai government allowed private companies to log the forest, destroying part of the villages' infrastructure. In 1957, the villagers entered the employ of the logging companies, causing internal and external conflict as well as increased reliance on unsustainable practices. Finally, in 1991 the villagers formed a conservation group, the Forest Lover Group, which the Chaobaan researchers agreed cut down on conflict. The mood of the villages has returned to one of mutual assistance and traditional customs.
Rasi Salai Dam
The Rasi Salai DamRasi Salai Dam
The Rasi Salai Dam is a dam in Amphoe Rasi Salai that was in use from 1994 to 2000. It was constructed by Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand with assistance from the World Bank, despite local protest. Living River Siam, an NGO, helped Thai villagers document the effects of the dam on...
was completed in 1994, around the same time as the Pak Mun Dam, and received similar local complaints. The dam's central reservoir was occupied for two years by villagers, until a July 2000 decision opened the sluice gates. From 2003 to 2004, Living River Siam coordinated Thai Baan research in three districts: Amphoe Rasi Salai
Amphoe Rasi Salai
Rasi Salai is a district in the northern part of Sisaket Province, northeastern Thailand.- Geography :Neighboring districts are Phanom Phrai of Roi Et Province, Sila Lat of Sisaket Province, Maha Chana Chai and Kho Wang of Yasothon Province, Yang Chum Noi, Mueang Sisaket, Uthumphon Phisai and...
, Amphoe Rattanaburi
Amphoe Rattanaburi
Rattanaburi is a district in the northeastern part of Surin Province, northeastern Thailand.-History:Rattanaburi was a Mueang under Mueang Surin, which was converted into a district in the thesaphiban administrative reforms at the end of the 19th century.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Non...
, and Amphoe Phon Sai
Amphoe Phon Sai
Phon Sai is a district in the southeastern part of Roi Et Province, northeastern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Suwannaphum and Nong Hi of Roi Et Province, Sila Lat and Rasi Salai of Sisaket Province and Rattanaburi of Surin Province.-History:The minor district Phon Sai was...
. The report examined village culture, ecology, biodiversity, agriculture, and food and water management. The impact of the closing and opening of the sluice gates was also examined. It was concluded that the dam reduced fish populations, but more importantly, flooded natural salt pits and spread them into rice and vegetable fields, destroying trees and crops. The government has not made a commitment to keep the Rasi Salai Dam out of commission, but as of 2008 the gates have not yet been closed.
Mekong flooding
In 2005, and again in 2008, the Mekong River flooded its banks, damaging hundreds of rural villages. Living River Siam joined with other NGOs to form the Thai People's Network for Mekong, which pointed to dams in China as the primary cause of the flooding. An intergovernmental working group called the Mekong River CommissionMekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission is an intergovernment body charged “to promote and co-ordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries’ mutual benefit and the people’s well-being by implementing strategic programmes and activities and providing...
opposed these claims, saying China's dams had little to do with the flood, although they also pressed China for data on the floodwaters. The back-and-forth was covered heavily in Thai press, which gave ample space to the statements of the People's Network.
Seminars, coordination, and publications
Beginning in 2006, Living River Siam began training other grassrootsGrassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
organizations in Thai Baan research, beginning with the Vietnam Rivers Network and expanding to a Chinese group in 2007. In 2008 they worked with the Burma Rivers Network to conduct research on the Salween River
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
. They also assisted a United Nations-funded NGO, the Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Programme (MWBP), with running Thai Baan research in 2004. Living River Siam, along with the MWBP, organizes cross-basin coordination between Thai Baan research groups.
Living River Siam has compiled the research and oral accounts of Thai villagers into many publications, which they make available on their website. Its published books document local knowledge about fish, the results of village research, a how-to manual for Thai Baan research, and citizens' guides to defending Thai rivers and communities. They also have produced posters of fish species and dams, pamphlets on fishing gear, and short documentaries about the river.