Activists who have been calling on the local authorities to open the gates of a controversial dam have summoned for talks by the military in Isan, Thailand’s northeast.    

The 22nd Army Division of the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani Province on Saturday issued a letter to summon key leaders of the Assembly of the Poor (AOP), a civil society organisation which is the voice of Thailand’s poor, for a discussion at 1 pm on 30 June.  

According to the letter, the military summoned the AOP activists over the group’s campaign to open the gates of thePak Mun Dam, a controversial hydroelectric dam on the Mun River, a tributary of the Mekong, in order to allow fish species to migrate during the breeding season.

The letter warned that the group’s campaign might breach the orders of the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Specifically, the letter claimed that the AOP’s activities concerning the dam might go against NCPO Order No. 7/2014, banning political gatherings of 5 or more persons, NCPO Order No. 3/2015 on the authority to maintain national security, and NCPO Announcement No. 47/2014, which lays out penalties against for supporters of political gatherings.

The AOP has been calling on the Governor of Ubon Ratchathani to open the gates of the Pak Mun Dam since late May.

The local authorities have maintained that opening the dam might deplete the water supply and lead to drought in the region.

However, Udom Saengpong, a key AOP leader, pointed out that many of the fishermen and locals want the dam to be opened in order to allow fish stocks in the river to increase during the breeding season.