November 18, 2025
This fall, Goldman Environmental Prize Program Manager Laura Fernandez had the opportunity to visit Niwat Roykaew and Tuenjai Deetes, Goldman Prize winners from Thailand from 2022 and 1994, respectively. The following is a guest post about her experience.
After spending three days in Chiang Mai, Thailand, attending the Asia Environmental Human Rights Defenders Forum, I had the honor of visiting two Thai Prize winners, Niwat Roykaew and Tuenjai Deetes, in the province of Chiang Rai. Pai Deetes, a river advocate and staff member at Rivers & Rights International, graciously organized and coordinated my field trip to the Mekong River.
I first met up with Tuenjai and Pai at the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong River bisects Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, and where I observed many boats going up and down stream carrying food, goods, and tourists.
We traveled for over an hour to the Mekong School, located by the Mekong riverbank in the Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai. Our guides were with the Hill Area and Community Development Foundation (HADF), an NGO founded by Tuenjai in 1985 that advocates for the rights of tribal groups and minorities in the region, leading education programs and sustainable agriculture projects.
Arriving just before sunset, we were warmly welcomed by Niwat, or “Kru Thi” (the teacher), as he is widely known in the community. We sat around a long table—accompanied by lifetime community members, allies, students, and staff from HADF—to discuss the history of the Mekong School and the emerging issues impacting the river.
The dialogue and reflections that followed were both inspiring and sobering. Both Prize winners, Tuenjai and Niwat, are educators, stewards of the river, and fervent community advocates. Their friendship has been strengthened throughout many campaigns and victories. For almost a decade, the Mekong School, guided by Niwat since its founding in 2015, has been a platform for learning—a hub for local and international students and activists researching and visiting the Mekong River Basin.
Together, this broad coalition has fought to protect the Mekong River from industrial development—including major blasting and dam projects—that threatened its ecosystems, fisheries, and food supply. But now, a significant, new challenge has emerged: The main tributaries to the Mekong River, some located outside of Thailand, are contaminated with elevated levels of arsenic, caused by both legal and illegal mining of rare earth minerals along the vast basin. The contamination is already profoundly impacting local communities’ health and livelihoods: The river they once swam in and fished from can no longer be touched. “Water, the essence of life, has turned into poison—seeping into rice, plants, and our food chain,” Niwat reflected. “This isn’t just about poverty anymore. Our lives—and the lives of our children—are being stolen.”
According to Niwat, because rare earth minerals power the global economy—through use in high-tech devices and electric vehicles—and because of the many countries abutting the Mekong and its tributaries, addressing this crisis will require transnational collaboration. “The problem of transboundary pollution from mines in the upper tributaries of the Mekong—in Shan state and Laos—is deeply connected to the global supply chain of rare earths and other critical minerals,” Niwat shared. “It’s not just about China; many countries, including the United States, are part of this network. Everyone wants these critical minerals.”
While Niwat paused, looking into the horizon, Tuenjai mapped out the many international actors and stakeholders that must be brought to the table to find a solution. She posed the question: “While the world is moving toward clean energy, we are relying on dangerous minerals. How can governments protect both people and the environment? What responsibility comes with producing these minerals?”
After this complex and at times heartbreaking conversation, the evening softened and welcomed the night with delicious fresh food and the rhythm of guitar, flute, and songs from the Mekong School staff. We relaxed in preparation for the following morning—I was going to see, for the first time, illegal mining activity along the Mekong.
The next day started at 8:00 am. Traveling three hours by van, we drove along the river, swirling through the mountains of Chiang Rai until we arrived at a village at the border of Thailand and Myanmar, full of tea farms, rice fields, and abundant colors. From there, we were only a few kilometers away from one of 14 mines located near the Sai River, a major tributary to the Mekong in Myanmar. Visible across a barbed wire fence, the view of the mine and the noise of heavy machinery gave me chills. The mine in question has drastically grown over the years, but it had not been until the past year that the spillover and the extent of contamination became evident.
I echoed a question from these courageous activists: “What kind of global solutions are we ready to create?”
It is a question the world must urgently discuss and answer together. I’m hopeful that an answer—and in turn a possible solution—is in the works right now at COP30, where one of the main topics of the international climate conference includes securing critical minerals for the clean energy transition and ensuring that the transition prioritizes human rights, environmental protections, and fair economic benefits.
I believe hope always prevails. And hope will be necessary to continue the struggle, especially when it might be the struggle of our lives. A source of hope for me is these two Goldman Prize winners. In partnership with their respective grassroots organizations, Niwat and Tuenjai are strengthening advocacy on transboundary river pollution. They are leading with education, fact-based research, organizational and community action, and regional dialogue. Together, they are teaching us that we need to value our rivers for their natural worth. With this hope and knowledge, we can move forward.
About the author
Laura Fernandez
Program Manager, Prize Winner Outreach
Laura is a Latina immigrant from Colombia, passionate about grassroots work to support communities and the environment. She manages resource mobilization and networking for Prize winners, and coordinates Prize winner security and defense. Laura has worked internationally and has extensive climate and environmental nonprofit experience in philanthropy and civil society advocacy spaces. Prior to joining the Prize, Laura was a program officer at the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, where she helped facilitate millions of dollars in grants for water protection, community stewardship, and environmental justice across California and the Pacific Northwest. Laura holds two bachelor's degrees, in Geography and International Relations, and did graduate studies in international development and sustainability at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland. She joined the Prize in 2022.
