Ten Big Reforms for Isaan, Thailand and Cambodia: A Borderless Future of Justice and Infrastructure

 

Ten Big Reforms for Isaan, Thailand and Cambodia: A Borderless Future of Justice and Infrastructure

1. Rail Equity Corridor

Launch a 600 km Isaan Rail Equity Plan North-South connecting Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, and Surin to Khon Kaen and Bangkok. Simultaneously fund a Surin–Siem Reap spur to rupture the rail desert and enable Khmer-Isaan cultural mobility.

2. Cross-Border Health Pact

Establish a Thai–Cambodian Border Health Compact: shared clinics, mobile units, and Khmer-language services in Surin, Sisaket, and Battambang. Fund joint disease surveillance and maternal care.

3. Khmer Language Rights Charter

Recognise Northern Khmer as a protected regional language. Fund bilingual education, media, and signage in Surin, Sisaket, and Buriram. Partner with Cambodian cultural ministries for curriculum co-design and temples website.

4. Ban on Land Grabs and Elite Logging

Criminalise elite land seizures in Isaan and Cambodian border zones. Launch a joint land audit with civil society oversight of logging. Return stolen land to communities and indigenous stewards.

5. Farmer Sovereignty and E-Commerce Reform

Break rice export monopolies. Enable Isaan and Cambodian farmers to sell directly to global buyers via state-backed e-commerce platforms. Fund AI training hubs in Kalasin and Kampong Thom.

6. Hereditary Power Abolition Treaty

Propose a bilateral abolition pact: Thailand and Cambodia commit to dismantling hereditary political appointments, elite impunity, and dynastic control of infrastructure budgets.

7. Border Transparency Dashboard

Create a real-time public dashboard showing troop movements, land use, and budget allocations along the Thai–Cambodian border. Include citizen veto mechanisms and FOI triggers.

8. Youth Exchange and Decolonial Curriculum

Fund a Khmer–Isaan Youth Assembly: cross-border summer camps, history labs, and abolitionist curriculum co-authored by students. Teach colonial rail exclusion, dynastic corruption, dissenters/disappeared and resistance movements. Even music scape: Luk Thung, Mor Lam, Kundrum etc.

9. Participatory Infrastructure Planning

Mandate citizen assemblies in every Isaan province and Cambodian border district before any new road, dam, or rail project. No more top-down megaprojects. Every plan must pass a public vote.

10. Border Reparations Fund

Launch a Thai–Cambodian Border Reparations Fund, seeded with military and elite asset seizures. Use it to rebuild flood-prone villages, restore Khmer temples, and fund local cooperatives. Even KH bomb shelters hopefully never to be used.

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