We Won!!

Today is my last day on Don Det, 4,000 Islands Laos PDR. Tomorrow I go to Siem Reap in Cambodia to be ready for my flight home on Christmas day via Singapore. I am going home early andthis is not what I had planned but is the only course open to me. It is a very long storey which I am committed to tell but there is one task I must complete before I continue the tale of the journey.

We won! There is no better way to put it. On Monday last Metgasco held its general meeting to consider the Board's recommendation to accept the Licence Byback offer of the State government. The meeting accepted the recommendation and move to accept the offer. This means the end of Coal Seam Gas in the Northern Rivers. No Government no matter its political focus would be so stupid as to consider opening the Northern Rivers to mining ever again. Not only this, what we learned about how and what to do in the Bentley struggle/campaign, is community gold. We learnt that we are powerful and that we can operate collectively, ethically and non violently and win. That is the best thing. We can protect ourselves, wecan show our commitment. I am sad I was not there for the end.... only it isn't really, the end I mean.

I was skimming the previous posts and noticed that I had omitted the morning the Vicky Thanh and I spent at My Son on the outskirts of Hoian. The local authorities have done the place up. There is a very good visitors centre and a performance space where we saw some Cham Dancing. It was similar to the Apsara Dancing of Angkor. They were Khmers and these guys were Chams, natural enemies. My Son has a large number of brick built temples some of which were huge towers. Unfortunately the Americans carpet bombed the place in thier maddness during thier war there. Many if not most of the temples have been devastated. What is left is a tantalising taste of something bigger than us all. I was talking to a chap on Don Det this time. I can't remember the conversation completely but I do remember talking with him about a "Sun Temple" in Vietnam that was aligned with Wat Po in Laos and the temples at Kor Key and Beng Malaya and Angkor Wat. What was interesting was he was actualy talking about My Son! I would love to know how all these peoples "fitted". More research options.