The 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 in the process of development, so that they benefit from those projects.
The Assembly of the Poor is now considered to be a political voice for villagers and marginalized members of society. As an organization, it is allied with other NGOs in Thailand. When the Assembly of the Poor first began, it was accused of dismantling Thailand's unity and the democratic principles of Thai ideologies.[1] The non-governmental organization is an amalgamation of seven districts representing every region of Thailand. It is composed of urban and rural small-scale agriculturists and manual laborers. Due to its variety of members, the Assembly is able to transcend regional and class divisions.
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During the 1950s, Thailand's Development Agenda was at the forefront of the government and was backed by the World Bank. The rapid industrialization around the world was a driving force behind this. The World Bank gave its support to Thailand because of the government's substantial economic investment in urban infrastructure, strong market orientation, and leading role in private sector and private investment. Starting in the 1950s and accelerating in the late 20th century, Thailand was becoming an "exemplar for the rest of the developing world", according to the World Bank, IMF, and other mainstream economic organizations. In the 20th century the foreign capital was contributing so much to Thailand's growth that manufacturing was increasing, but in contrast the agriculture sector was rapidly declining. Due to the decline in the agriculture sector small-scale farmers and peasants were living in poverty. This made a large population of Thailand's people vulnerable to exploitation to the big cities such as Bangkok. It also excluded the rural farmers from rapid changes in the countries large cities as well. This began to irritate the Thai rural farmers and peasants creating a need for a vast social and environmental transformation. Community leaders and NGOs saw an urgent need to organize a fight for community rights at a National Level.[2]
The Assembly of the Poor began in the 1980s, but did not become highly visible in Thailand until the mid-1990s. The organization emerged when NGO activists and village leaders agreed upon the need for a core development campaign. These activists soon began to recruit not only the rural farmers of Thailand but workers from the cities as well. In 1995, the organization decided to hold a conference to coincide with the ASEAN Summit scheduled in Bangkok on 14–15 December. The Asian Cultural Forum on Development (ACFOD) and Friends of the People (Klum pheuan phrachachon, who support villagers’ groups facing dams and large-scale projects) were the main Bangkok-based NGOs that coordinated the conference.[3]
The emergence of this organization had been one of the most striking political events to happen throughout Thailand in the 1990s. The group was officially established on 10 December 1995 on International Human Rights Day. The project was instigated by a group of villagers affected by the Pak Mun dam, but these have since been joined by people concerned about other projects in the country, and by factory workers suffering from industrial injuries. The inauguration of this assembly in December 1995 was the first rural political voice that had been raised since the suppression of the Peasants' Federation in 1975.[4]
Among the group's co-founders was Vanida Tantiwittayapitak, who was among the student activists at Thammasat University who fled Bangkok to the countryside after the brutal massacre of students during a right-wing coup. She became a leader of the Pak Mun fight in the 1990s. She died of breast cancer at age 52 on December 6, 2007.[5][6]
During the proceedings of its establishment on December 10, a manifesto titled “Mun River Declaration” was created to announce the formation of the Assembly of the Poor. The declaration also criticized industrial development based on the rights to “sustainable livelihoods and political participation of local communities.” Through the declaration, the Assembly of the Poor set itself up to be the platform through which the disadvantaged could find a political voice.
Along with the Mun River Declaration, the Assembly sent a petition to the government detailing member’s grievances, quickly establishing their intent to participate politically.[7]
The Assembly of the Poor used significant and strategic steps to create the unified front that enabled them to mobilize through rural villages. Firsty, the Assembly created an "over-arching ideological critique of development" that connected specific local grievances to national government policies. Second, they made a political and national identity out of being "poor" and "victims" of development. This created a sense of shared struggle.[8]
These strategies contribute to the solid unification the Assembly exhibits during campaigns and protests. Due to these strategies, the Assembly of the Poor is able to mobilize people quickly and efficiently when campaigning or protesting against government activity and continuing its platform as a voice for the poor and marginalized.
The group's activities so far have included the organization of demonstrations and discussion forums; the drafting and presentation of letters of protest to the government; and the making of legislative proposals. On December 10, 1995 there was a conference held at Thammasat University of Bangkok entitled "Assembly of the Poor: The consequences of Large-Scale Development Projects". Many AOP activists along with villagers and scholars brought speeches and participated in panels to shine light on the negative effects large-scale development has on Thailand's social and ecological factors. After days of discussion, the "Mun River Declaration" was formed. This signified the refusal of the Thai society to remain passive subjects of change in their own country. The Thai people wanted a say in what was going on in their land. Many days after the declaration was formed, hundreds of AOP activists and members marched through Bangkok to submit their declaration and list of demands to the Thai government.[9]
According to the Bangkok Post the recent issues in Thailand have a lot to do with the political divisions trying to undermine the AOP. The lack of unity among the poor poses a major obstacle in the battle to a more democratic society. In the 21st century, political divisions in Thailand have weakened the movements of the Assembly of the Poor. In order for the NGO to stay in a positive direction the Bangkok Post states they must focused on;
1. Natural resources
2. Protection of local people's rights to manage those resources
3. They also to need to move certain issues to the forefront of their political voice.
4. Community rights
5. An aggressive tax rate on land holdings
6. Establishment of a land development fund
7. Fair land distribution
The rural farmers and peasants need to form a foundation of community rights that is the constitution of how they country should run. They need to do this to enhance the future of Thailand and it rank in the global economy and that of a developing nation.
Many of the members of the Assembly have been hit by pressure to modernize and the impact of globalization. In fact, thousands of families have been forcefully moved in order to build environmentally destructive dams. In other cases, local resources such as rain forest land,are being plundered by exports. The organization and victims of these changes demand compensation and right to use local resources for their own region. Other instances of protest that the organization works in do not always involve asking for things for self-interest, the ideology behind the organization is for a democratic and sustainable society that is just, participatory, transparent, compassionate, respectful and cooperative to the natural environment and the citizens.[10]
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