The Assembly of the Poor (Thai: สมัชชาคนจน) (AOP) is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

(NGO) in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. 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 intended to be a political voice for villagers and marginalized members of society. As an organization, it is allied with other

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

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. The non-governmental organization is an amalgamation of seven districts representing every region of Thailand. It is composed of

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

and

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

small-scale agriculturists and manual labourers. Due to its variety of members, the Assembly is able to transcend regional and class divisions.

Background

In the 1950s, Thailand underwent a plan of development, supported by the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

, intended to help the country

industrialize Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econom ...

. Subsequent foreign investment in the company's economy assisted it towards meeting its goals, but while it would by the 1990s be considered a leader among developing nations along with other Southeast Asian countries, development was uneven through the country, with unequal distribution of wealth and technology. The agricultural community, which had sacrificed natural resources and contributed significant capital to the development of infrastructure saw few gains for themselves.

Formation

The Assembly of the Poor grew out of this unrest, beginning with villagers angry about the local impact of the

Pak Mun Dam The Pak Mun Dam ( th, เขื่อนปากมูล, , ) is a barrage dam and run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant 5.5 km west of the confluence of the Mun and Mekong Rivers in Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thail ...

. One of the co-founders of the group, Vanida Tantiwittayapitak had become involved in Pak Mun after her relocation to the country following the

Thammasat University massacre The 6 October 1976 massacre, or the 6 October event ( th, เหตุการณ์ 6 ตุลา ) as it is known in Thailand, was a violent crackdown by Thai police and lynching by right-wing paramilitaries and bystanders against leftist p ...

. While it started as a rural assembly, city workers were also welcomed. The grassroots organization became official on international

Human Rights Day Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Right ...

, 10 December 1995, becoming the first rural political voice after the 1975 suppression of the Peasants' Federation. This took place on the opening day of their first conference, "Assembly of the Poor: The consequences of Large-Scale Development Projects", held at

Thammasat University Thammasat University (Abbreviation, Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the ...

and intended to coincide with the

ASEAN Summit The ASEAN Summit is a biannual meeting held by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in relation to economic, political, security, and socio-cultural development of Southeast Asian countries. In addition, it serves ...

scheduled in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

on 14–15 December. Conference attendees spent several days developing the "Mun River Declaration", which both announced their existence and criticized the prioritization of industrial development at the expense of local communities. It also fired a warning shot across the bow of government, forming a petition detailing their grievances to the government, punctuated by a march through Bangkok of hundreds of AOP members and sympathizers.

Goals

The Assembly of the Poor's first strategy connected the issues suffered by local communities to national policy. Their second was to create a sense of shared identity among those who identified themselves as suffering from developmental policies or being excluded from developmental benefits. AOP demands compensation for those injured by developmental strategies and access to resources by their own communities, but does not limit its political activities to self-interest.

Challenges

According to the ''

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

'' the recent issues in Thailand have a lot to do with the political actors trying to undermine the AOP. The lack of unity among the poor poses a major obstacle in the battle for a more democratic society. In the 21st century, political divisions in Thailand have weakened the movement. In order for the NGO to continue in a positive direction the ''Bangkok Post'' stated they must focus on: #Natural resources #Protection of local people's rights to manage those resources #The movement of certain issues to the forefront of their political voice. #Community rights #An aggressive tax rate on land holdings #Establishment of a land development fund #Fair land distribution

References

External links