STORIES from the Ground
Dismantle the structural violence from the high-speed rail construction project
The Thai-Chinese high-speed rail construction project is in the first phase, or the route from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, a distance of 253 kilometers, with a budget of 1.796 hundred billion baht. In terms of construction, there has not been much progress and there have been delays due to the contractor being unable to proceed with construction because the Royal Decree on land expropriation had just been announced. However, this construction covers community areas in several places where large infrastructure developments run through.
Prasopsuk Community is located in Mueang District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. It is one of the communities that was evicted from the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail construction project in the area under construction contract 3-5. This community was originally located on the land of the State Railway of Thailand. Two years ago, this community was not aware that it was one of the areas that was evicted.
Phi Niyom, information provider and network group along the Ya Mo River
“… In fact, the villagers don’t know. Around the beginning of last year, the beginning of 2020, I didn’t know that this project would happen. I didn’t know because the State Railway of Thailand didn’t tell us. And the contractors and engineers who came to survey only surveyed that side. I don’t know how the communities on the east side thought of going to a meeting with them without being invited… So I wondered why our communities, Liap Nakhon, Prasob Suk, and Bai Le, were almost hit first. Why didn’t they mention our community’s name? Out of curiosity, I raised my hand to ask them. They said that they didn’t know the information. I said how could they not know the information when my village was hit first?” said Phi Niyom, a likay troupe owner who lives in Prasob Suk.
Meanwhile, another community not far from Prasopsuk Community is Liap Nakhon Community, a community along the railway tracks that was evicted. There are only 3 families left in this community. Before, the community was so densely populated that officials came to inform them to move out, with the condition that if they did not move, the officials would come and arrest them. The area around the community is now an open area that has been leveled to prepare for construction.
“Since the first time he came, he didn’t inform us and gave us 3 months to demolish it. We said we couldn’t demolish it in 3 months, we needed some time. Then another month later, he came again and told us to demolish it within 1 week, move out. If you don’t move, I’ll call the police to arrest you,” said Phi Chong, a resident of Liap Nakorn community. He also mentioned other problems, such as offering Phi Chong money to move out of the area alone, choosing not to distribute compensation to other affected families. Land filling around the area caused flooding to flow into houses that refused to be demolished. The soil was graded and put right up against the walls of the houses. He even argued with the Chinese contractor. Phi Chong saw these actions as creating problems to indirectly pressure people to move out.
In addition to Prasopsuk Community and Liap Khon Community, the communities that were evicted in the city area of Nakhon Ratchasima Province include Bai Le Community behind the Governor's Residence, Ratchanikul Community 1, Ratchanikul Community 3, Bencharong Community, and Thung Sawang - Sala Loi Community. To solve this problem, the community collaborated with the Community Development Institute (Public Organization) to request that the State Railway of Thailand provide assistance to the evicted families. This led to the Ya Mo Rim Rang Network Secure Housing Project by requesting to rent a new plot of land in Ban Phalai, Hua Thale Subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima District from the State Railway of Thailand. This project is currently in the process of signing a contract. If it is approved, it will be time to relocate.
“I want it approved as soon as possible. I want to enter the area already. At first, I asked to enter the area first, but they said I had to wait for the document before I could enter. When they were really dramatic, I said, “Whatever. If you can do it, then do it. But I won’t move,” said Phi Chong.
In the case of legal land owners, the issue of land expropriation is clearly a matter of the price the government must pay or a clear agreement between the expropriated person and the state. However, for those living in slums and without land ownership, they are stigmatized as encroachers on state land, with officials evicting them and the eyes of outsiders who want them to leave their “homes” so that the country’s development can proceed smoothly. Importantly, considering them as “encroachers” leads to the neglect of their status as citizens of the country and their humanity that has been destroyed by structural violence.
What is structural violence? Structural violence is the violence that lies hidden under the emergence of capitalism and state mechanisms. It is a critique of social inequality, whether it is lack of access to education, healthcare, unfair development, homelessness, etc., which results in poor quality of life, including what is called “poverty” (Naruphon Duangwises), which is a violence that reflects social inequality, inequality that people see as normal and lack of understanding towards others.
refer
Naruphan Duangwises. 2021. Structural Violence in Anthropology. Retrieved May 20, 2022 from https://www.sac.or.th/portal/th/article/detail/271
* This work is part of the research information dissemination activity to the public under the project "Cross-border China Railway: A Comparative Study of the Impacts of Railway Construction Projects on Communities Around Main Stations in Thailand and Laos", funded by the Office of the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NSTDA) by the Human Resource Development and Institutional Development Fund Management Unit (NHRC) for fiscal years 2021 - 2023.
** The research project is currently underway. The published content is part of the data collection and is not a conclusion of the research results.
Phanitda Saiyoras
Project Leader
Plaifha Namphrai
Research Assistant
Vishnu Duangpan
Research Assistant