EARTH REPORT: Crossing the Divide | Tuenjai Deetes [Part 2 of 2]

Programme:
Earth Report investigates the impact that development has had on the environment and explores what is being done to protect our planet.

Contributor:
Senator Tuenjai Deetes of the Chiang Rai Province.

Broadcaster:
BBC World

Episode Summary:
Environmental campaigners make it their business to be a thorn-in-the-side of governments. So what makes an environmental activist, go into politics? In this edition of Earth Report we look at environmental activists who crossed the divide to become leading politicians. They've also won international recognition through awards from the UN and the Goldman Environmental Prize.

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Transcript:

In 1994 her work won Tuenjai the Goldman Environmental prize.

"After I win the prize, the media in Thailand always interviews me about the environment and conservation, so from then on, I was recognised more by the Thai people... then when I make a decision that I want to be a politician, because the senator of Thailand will not be under any political party, I will have freedom to think and to work and to do any movement with the people to preserve the nature... So the government, the non-governmental organisations or NGOs and the parliament and Senate concerned more about the hill tribe people as a citizen of Thailand."

Today much of the Senator's time is taken up travelling to remote villages where she finds out first hand the problems faced by the Hill Tribes.

"The forest land should belong to the community, because everyone can use it, and take care of it, and can pass to the next generation, the future generation. The problem is still that the human rights, basic rights of the hill tribes, in some place, they do not get citizenship yet, so it is in the process I am going to support them to get legal status.

Crossing the Divide

In 1999 Tuenjai was elected senator of Chiang Rai Province. It's a position that she feels allows her greater scope to help the people of the Hill Tribes.

"I am crossing the divide from social activist to become a senator. That makes me have more opportunity to help the people solve their problems. Before that, I could not meet the cabinet or the Prime Minister or the big person...but because I am the Senator, I can use many approaches to help people."

"My thought for the future is peace and the future relationship between human beings and nature. The rich countries should not take advantage of the poor countries and in the future we should only have peace and brotherhood. I wish the world should not have rich and poor, but only brotherhood and peace."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Earth Report
• Tuenjai Deetes
• Documentary
• Current Affairs
• Planet
• Thailand
• Goldman Environmental Prize
• Thai hill tribes
• activist
• Ethirajan
• Anbarasan
• Mekong
• Chiang Rai Province
• Changwat