Somjai Yhopkan was among 100 villagers who braved the torrential rain to attend a public meeting at the 3rd Mangrove Forest Research Centre in a hilly area of lush Ranong province.
The event was to address the proposed government land bridge project -- a 90km motorway and railway linking the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand with a deep-sea harbour on each end.
Ranong has long been known for its abundant marine and forest ecosystems. Its 170,000 rai Public Biosphere Reserve mangrove forest has been a designated Unesco site since 1997 and is currently nominated as a Natural Unesco World Heritage Site.
In the province's forests are many waterfalls and hot springs. Tourists visit for health and wellness. The coast is dotted with small islands and bays and the sea supports protected dolphins, otters and dugongs. More than 250 bird species are found in the province.
The meeting drew villagers and residents from different walks of life, including fishermen, durian growers and business people.
They came to the event to learn about outcomes of research into the project conducted by a civil society alliance comprising Beach For Life, the EnLaw Thai Foundation, Southern Human Rights Lawyers' Network and the Green South Foundation.
One attendee, Somjai, who lives in Ban Huay Ping in Ranong, works in small-scale fishing.
At the event, she saw a photograph of a large machine sucking sand to build the deep-sea port of Map Ta Phut in Rayong. It made her realise what might happen if the land bridge project in Ranong and Chumphon materialised.
Somjai and her husband are aware of the crucial role of the mangrove forest for her family's livelihood and well-being, and she knows her tambon is earmarked for the harbour development.
"The sea is my last resource for survival," she said. Somjai, 48, who did many odd jobs over the years to help her indebted family following a health crisis, is a shy woman who does not allow her photo to be taken.
At 13, she worked in a garment factory in Surat Thani. Later, she went back to Ranong to work in a seafood processing export company. After a variety of odd jobs, she went on to work at a plastic processing factory in Samut Sakhon where she earned 290 baht per day.
Finally, she paid off her mother's debt and sent her youngest brother to finish his higher education to become a government officer.
Then, she went back to her hometown to raise her family. Every day she and her husband go fishing. They have enough income and food security and some cash to send their children to school. They catch all kinds of marine life year-round, including eels from the mangrove forest.
"We sell fish to middlemen and the rest we share with our neighbours and relatives," Somjai said.
Paiboon Sawatnun, a fisherman from Ban Had Sai Dam who works year-round, said: "These coastal areas are rich in marine life," adding that this was the result of people who live in coastal areas saving the mangrove forest.
Upon learning about the land bridge project, Paiboon went to Rayong out of curiosity to investigate the consequences of industrialisation from the Eastern Seaboard Development scheme. Talking with locals there, he learned about chemical storage explosions, crude oil spills that ruined marine ecosystems and erosion destroying the once beautiful beaches due to the nearby deep-sea ports, the very things he dreads for his hometown.
"You know the land bridge project tries to give us half-truths about the ports and roads. But actually, it will be followed by industrial estates and refineries, oil pipelines and many other things," Paiboon said.
"They are not telling us the truth that the deep-sea ports they will fill in cover about 6,975 rai, as big as Payam island. That is only in Ranong and it does not include Laem Liew in Chumphon [where the other port is slated to be built]," he said.
Thom Sinsuwan, 65, was a displaced person in Ranong before she got her Thai citizenship after a long fight.
"I don't want any development that leaves people behind," she said, adding that there are still many displaced persons and sea nomads (Moken and Morgan) in the area. The Moken people are renowned for their ability to dive deep into the ocean and their unique way of life.
"They will suffer the most from this project because they don't have citizenship," said Thom, a small-scale fisherwoman.
Some participants came from Chumphon, including durian growers who are afraid their land will be used for roads and railways.
Somchok Jungjaturun is a young durian farmer who has participated in many social movements. He said each mature durian tree is worth more than the price that the project estimates to pay for compensation. Each durian tree yields more than 50,000 to 100,000 baht a year.
"As an orchard owner, I employ many Thai people from the Northeast as well as some Burmese workers," he said, adding that the land bridge project states that the plan will add more jobs. "Who wants it? Not me and not our folks."
"I am satisfied with what I have and I don't want a land bridge project," he said.
A hotel owner on Phayam island, a tourist destination in Ranong, said: "Those cargo ships may come or not, we don't know yet, but tourists will come here for sure."
Villagers said they have learned more about the project from civil society than from government representatives, since the two public hearings held so far did not include all the concerned stakeholders.
A number of local people are worried about the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) Act which relates to the land bridge and many meeting attendees wore "STOP SEC" T-shirts.
Supaporn Malailoy, a lawyer from the EnLaw Thai Foundation, explained that the SEC Act is a law that would include many exceptions. "For example, if any existing laws or regulations might go against investors, officials can amend those laws or regulations and present them for cabinet approval," she said, adding the SEC Act is a special bill that could exempt 19 laws which pertain to any large-scale project.
After participatory learning and discussion among locals and experts, Paiboon asked: "What shall we do and where do we go from here?"
Participants contributed different ideas, with one at the top of the list -- that the government should respect the voices of locals and allow them to develop the resources they have. "Don't give us this land bridge project," said Somjai.
Countless small-scale fishermen rely on the richness of the open sea, which is now under threat by the proposed controversial land bridge project.
The mangrove forest in Ranong nurtures all kinds of marine life.
