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STILL ALIVE (2003)

In the early 1990s Thailand built the Pak Mool Dam for generating electricity. The consequences for the fish stock were disastrous. Villages along the Mool River, dependent on fishing, rose up. After five years of futile protest, the villagers set up a tent camp near the main government buildings in Bangkok. It was the largest protest action in Thai history. Kaeowkao Pongpaiboon visited the camp, to his surprise a real village with cafes, restaurants and a hairdresser. He realized that it was a tragic copy of its residents’ original environment. By now, the protest has ended. As a grudging compromise, the dam is opened for four months a year to permit the fish through.

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