Join international award winning Lanna Tai community organizer and activist Khru Tee Niwat Roykaew for a discussion with Columbia River people on why rivers matter. This event is brought to you by The Asia Foundation, The Mark O. Hatfiled School of Government and the Dept. of Public Administration.
Khru Tee’s traditional knowledge bases of respect for Nature, and faith in human equality challenge development assumptions about what a river is. As the Mekong undergoes rapid industrialization today, Columbia River people have already experienced development in the form of big hydropower, timber, and agriculture for over 100 years. NGO’s, and local people’s and indigenous groups have organized to reclaim and redefine rivers and rights in both basins.
Join us to discuss what these two great world rivers and their people can learn from each other’s histories, what we have in common today, and how we can collaborate. Special guests to be announced.
Khru Tee Niwat Roykaew co-organized a network that fought for 20 years to stop Thai implementation of a treaty with China, Myanmar, and Laos intended to blast and dredge hundreds of miles of the Mekong River. For this he was awarded the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize. For his work with communities across northern Thailand, and with non-profits and academics, he was awarded The Asia Foundation’s 2023 Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award. He is co-founder and Director of the Mekong School in Chiang Khong, Thailand. Current networks and projects include local community empowerment, Mekong Water Protectors citizen science environmental monitoring, Mekong Youth Program for education and empowerment, and co-coordinating development of a civil society-based Mekong People’s Council.
REGISTER to attend in person or via Live stream
or to receive a Zoom link the day before the event.
Live translation to Thai provided online.