# จากครูโรงเรียนบ้านนอกสู่ครูนักปกป้องสิทธิ | Dear to dream | Niwat Roykaew | TEDxChiang Rai Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W9lzHtZ_VA Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/1W9lzHtZ_VA Generated: 2026-01-08T16:07:20.805+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Niwat Roykaew, known as Kru Tee, left his stable position as a school director at age 66 to pursue his larger dream of protecting the rights and benefits of his community, society, and the environment, successfully stopping the Mekong River rock blasting project after a 20-year fight. **Key Points:** - Niwat Roykaew, aged 66, views dreams as a gift from nature providing motivation and energy, contrasting the fear that stops young people and exhaustion that stops older people from pursuing them. - As a young teacher in a rural school, he solved a major local problem by organizing villagers to quit drug addiction, resulting in 60 people quitting opium within two months without government funding, allowing children to return to school. - He struggled with the constraints of being a government teacher, realizing he could not address issues like inequality or environmental concerns adequately within the bureaucratic framework, leading to his decision to resign. - Leaving his stable career as a school director was the hardest decision of his life, requiring a year of intense thought and grappling with concerns over his family's livelihood and disappointing his parents. - After resigning, he co-founded the Rak Chiang Khong group, focusing on environmental and local development issues, eventually establishing the Mekong River School to educate local children about their homeland. - He and the villagers fought for 20 years to stop the plan to blast rocks and rapids on the Mekong River to allow large Chinese cargo ships through, arguing that these rocks were essential habitats and food sources for fish. - For his environmental advocacy, including successfully halting the Mekong blasting project, he received the Goi Peace Award in 2022 (2565 BE). **Context:** The video features Niwat Roykaew, affectionately called Kru Tee, a 66-year-old former teacher from a rural school in Chiang Khong, sharing his journey from being a village teacher to becoming an advocate for community and environmental rights. His early experiences as a 'mountain teacher' involved handling diverse roles beyond teaching, such as being a medic and social worker, which exposed him to deep-rooted community problems like drug addiction. ## Detailed Analysis Niwat Roykaew emphasizes that pursuing one's dream requires courage and refusal to give up, which he demonstrated throughout his life, starting from his childhood ambition to return home and teach. His tenure as a rural teacher involved solving complex social issues, notably leading a successful, community-driven campaign to eliminate opium addiction among 60 villagers in two months, enabling local children to resume schooling. Despite achieving the rank of school director, he felt constrained by government bureaucracy when trying to tackle larger societal issues like inequality and environmental damage, leading him to make the difficult choice to resign from his secure position. This decision was fraught with personal anxiety regarding his family and parental expectations, but he justified it by asserting his responsibility to follow his true calling: protecting the community and the environment. Post-resignation, he channeled his efforts into advocacy, co-founding the Rak Chiang Khong group and establishing the Mekong River School. His most significant achievement was leading a two-decade struggle against the plan to blast rapids on the Mekong River for navigation, successfully stopping the project by demonstrating the ecological importance of the rocks as fish habitats, earning him the Goi Peace Award in 2022. He concludes that fulfilling one's dream, especially when it benefits the world, brings deep inner satisfaction ('im ok im jai') and gives life meaning. ### Teacher's Early Career and Problem Solving - Became a rural teacher in Mae Chan/Mae Fa Luang area - Faced issues where children missed school due to parental drug addiction ('father addicted to opium') - Organized villagers to cut off opium supply, resulting in 60 people quitting within two months without state budget. ### The Transition Beyond the Classroom - Felt constrained by the civil service framework ('stuck in the government frame') which prevented addressing systemic issues like inequality and environment. ### The Difficult Decision to Resign - Left the position of School Director at age 66, calling it the hardest thing in his life, requiring deep thought about family security and parental approval. ### Post-Resignation Advocacy and Community Building - Co-founded the Rak Chiang Khong group to work on environment and local development - Established the Mekong River School to educate youth about their homeland. ### The Mekong River Fight - Engaged in a 30-year struggle to protect the Mekong River from ecological damage, specifically opposing the blasting of rapids to allow large ships from China. ### Victory and Recognition - Fought the rock blasting project for 20 years, utilizing research showing the rocks were crucial fish habitats - Successfully halted the project and received the Goi Peace Award in 2565 (2022) for environmental struggle. ### Philosophy on Dreams - Believes fulfilling a dream that benefits the world results in deep contentment ('im ok im jai') and gives life value.