Indigenous people under threat from Asia clean energy push | Lifestyle

BAN KHU, Thailand — Muhammad Lamoh had no inkling that his small village of Ban Khu in southern Thailand would be key to the nation’s renewable energy goals, until local authorities called a community meeting to inform them of a plan to build a biomass plant.

The 25 megawatt plant began operating in March last year, despite villagers’ concerns about its effects on their health, its proximity to a local school, and sharing water from a canal that they used for fishing and their rubber and rice crops.

Before long, villagers noticed a foul smell and waste such as fly ash being dumped. Some residents complained of skin rashes, and many could not get as much water from the canal.

“Our main concerns are the impacts on our health, and on the land and water – but our concerns were not addressed in a satisfactory manner,” said Lamoh, 58, a fourth-generation…