Details
Mining activities in neighbouring countries may affect water quality and ecosystems across national borders, raising concerns about arsenic and heavy metal contamination in river basins or waterways connected to Thailand. Concerns about water quality and contamination by arsenic and heavy metals in the Kok, Sai, Ruak and Mekong rivers highlight the need for coordinated measures to prevent and manage impacts across the entire system.
These impacts can threaten public health, natural resources, livelihoods and the daily lives of local communities, while creating legal and administrative challenges because the sources of pollution may lie outside Thailand’s jurisdiction. A systematic review of Thailand’s legal framework and institutional mechanisms is therefore needed to identify gaps and strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent, monitor and respond to transboundary environmental impacts.
On 31 October 2026, after the academic expert consultation in Chonburi, a community consultation in Chiang Rai will be organised by Bangkok Tribune with the Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC), together with a research team from the School of Law, Mae Fah Luang University, led by Lecturer Arisra Lekkham, and with support from Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Thailand Office.
Chiang Rai is an important location for this consultation because its communities use and depend on the Kok, Sai, Ruak and Mekong rivers for drinking and domestic use, agriculture, fisheries and their daily lives. The experiences of local residents, community networks, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders provide essential input for reviewing the research findings.
The meeting aims to hear the experiences, information, concerns and needs of people and communities in Chiang Rai, together with comments from civil society and relevant stakeholders. Insights from the consultation will inform revisions to the research findings, Thailand Legal Mapping and Institutional Mapping, and the project’s legal and policy recommendations.Agenda
09:00 – 09:30 Registration
09:30 – 09:45 Meeting objectives and opening remarks
- Sor. Rattanamanee Polkla, Executive Coordinator, Community Resource Centre Foundation
- Representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Thailand Office
09:45 – 10:30 Presentation of research findings
- Arisara Lekkam, School of Law, Mae Fah Luang University
10:30 – 10:45 Refreshment break
10:45 – 11:30 Presentation of research findings (continued)
- Arisara Lekkam
11:30 – 12:30 Discussion of the research findings
- Facilitated by Sor. Rattanamanee Polkla
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 15:00 Small-group discussions on the research findings
- Facilitated by CRC staff and the research team
15:00 – 15:15 Refreshment break
15:15 – 15:45 Presentation of comments by small-group representatives
- Facilitated by Sor. Rattanamanee Polkla
15:45 – 16:00 Meeting summary
- Arisara Lekkam
16:00 – 16:10 Closing remarks
- Representative of the Chiang Rai network
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