Declaration by Local Communities of the River Basins in Thailand
Mun River, Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand
November 12, 2002 - (Translated from the original in Thai language)

Freedom for our Rivers, Life for our Communities

We, representatives of local communities of the River Basins in Thailand, gathered near the Mun River in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province for the
"Dialogue on River Basin Development and Civil Society in the Mekong Region". The Dialogue provided an opportunity for us to meet with other representatives of local communities from the countries of Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam. We have shared and exchanged our lived experiences,
struggles and concerns about our communities and livelihoods.
We, representatives of local communities of the River Basins in Thailand, recognise that the ways of life, cultures and livelihoods of our communities depend upon, and are inextricably linked to, the Mekong River, its tributaries, and its diversity of natural ecosystems including the rapids, lakes, forests and wetlands.
In 1995, the Governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam reached agreement to cooperate for the "sustainable development" of the Mekong River Basin. This agreement subsequently also came to define the term "civil society" as the groups that provide monetary assistance to support the expansion of economic growth in the Mekong River Basin. This agreement also resulted in the emergence of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to promote "cooperation" among the governments in the Mekong region.
We assert that the agreement among the Mekong region governments, the definition of civil society, and institutions such as the Mekong River Commission have excluded local communities from making decisions about the Mekong River Basin and development.
We therefore question the very nature of this "development" that has emerged from this "cooperation" as well as the "development assistance" that is being provided by "civil society".
We question whether this "development" has in fact been able to support the diversity of local livelihoods and improve the ways of life of local communities in the Mekong region.
We assert that local communities are being sacrificed in the name of "development".  "Development" in the present day is destroying the lives, livelihoods, cultures and natural ecosystems of the local communities of the Mekong region.
The governments in the Mekong River Basin, the Mekong River Commission, financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the governments of Northern countries claim that they are joining together to undertake "poverty reduction". In the name of "poverty reduction", however, these governments and institutions are marginalising the local people; dispossessing them of their homes, farmlands and commons; and, depriving them of their rights to make decisions about their own futures.
We, representatives of local communities of the River Basins in Thailand, know that the Mekong region has an enormous diversity of peoples and ecosystems that includes a diversity of livelihoods and occupations, religions, cultures and languages, and indigenous peoples and ethnic groups.
But the civil society formed by the dictates of present-day development in the Mekong region does not respect this diversity nor recognises its needs.
Present-day development and its "civil society" is destroying our societies and ecosystems and eroding the dignity of the vast range of humanity in the
Mekong region. The "civil society" of present-day development is attempting to replace the enormous diversity in the Mekong region by forcing people to accept one kind of culture in its place - a culture that follows the development plans imposed by the governments in the region and supported by the countries and institutions that provide financial assistance.
The monoculture and artificial "civil society" being imposed by the governments and institutions such as the Mekong River Commission is destroying the local knowledge and wisdom of local communities as well as attempting to ensure that people cannot decide on their own development.
We, representatives of local communities of the River Basins in Thailand, assert that the basic principle that must guide and form the foundation for civil society in the Mekong region is that communities must participate in deciding their own futures.
The concept of "community rights", which implies that development must be based on the local knowledge and wisdom of communities in the Mekong
region, and their rights over natural resources, is inseparable from civil society. Civil society must emerge from the equitable exchange of ideas and
experiences irrespective of any differences in the economic situation of local communities. The present-day "civil society" of governments and institutions such as the Mekong River Commission, however, runs opposite to the principles of community rights and local participation because it makes people lose their rights and their authority to decide on their own development.
In this respect, local communities must ensure that the artificial "civil society" being imposed by the governments and the Mekong River Commission
in the name of "development" is not allowed to control our lives and societies.  Towards this end, we must also monitor the governments in the Mekong region to ensure that they act in the best interests of our communities.
We, representatives of local communities of the River Basins in Thailand, assert that the Mekong River Commission is harmful to the interests of the
countries in the Mekong River Basin and the local communities and natural ecosystems.
Evidence in the past proves that the Mekong River Commission is deceitful: when the Mekong River Commission speaks with the governments in the Mekong region, it calls our communities ignorant and poor, unable to develop, and destroyers of the environment.
But when the Mekong River Commission speaks to our communities, it blames the governments for receiving funds from foreign donors and becoming
dependent on foreign aid. In the name of "promoting cooperation", the Mekong River Commission's highly-paid consultants live off the taxes received from the public while supporting projects that destroy our societies and the environment and result in conflicts between communities and countries.
We therefore call on the governments of the Mekong region to immediately halt all development projects in the Mekong River Basin that are being
planned and assisted by, or implemented through, the Mekong River Commission.
We, representatives of local communities of the River Basins in Thailand, gathered here at the Mun River, have exchanged lessons about our efforts at
deciding our development as well as our struggles against the present-day "development" and the artificial "civil society" being imposed on our societies. Here at the Mun River, we are also witness to one of the symbols of the destructive "development" being promoted by governments in the Mekong region: the Pak Mun dam.
We state that we refuse the "development" projects such as the Pak Mun dam; standing here at the Mun River, we hope for the Mun River to wash away this kind of destructive "development" and its artificial "civil society". In our sharing of experiences and debates over development during the last four days, we have explored the various issues relating to the use and management of the Mekong River Basin. We consider this sharing and exchange as a starting point as well as a milestone in our efforts to ensure that development is responsible and meaningful particularly for the socially and economically marginalised communities.
We hope that this sharing and exchange among the communities that occurred near the Mun River can continue in the other countries of the Mekong region to ensure that community rights over natural resources becomes the guiding principle for development in the Mekong region.

Long live the rights of local communities.

Local Communities of the River Basins of Thailand
12 November 2002, Mun River, Ubon Ratchathani province, Northeast Thailand