Offer to reduce width of pipeline

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

June 10, 1997

BANGKOK POST

BURMA GAS PIPELINE / NEW MOVE TO DEFUSE OPPOSITION

Offer to reduce width of pipeline

PTT worried about cost of delay

Suebpong Unarat


The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) is willing to reduce the width of 
its gas pipeline through fertile forests from 20m to 12-15m, Korn Dabbaransi, 
the Industry Minister, said yesterday.

The decision was reached at talks at Government House attended by Mr Korn, 
Chucheep Harnsawat, the Agriculture Minister, and and PTT representatives.

Opposition has recently intensified against the pipeline project which will 
start taking delivery of natural gas from the Yadana and Yetagun fields in 
Burma in mid-1998.

Opponents, including local environmentalists and NGOs, say the 260km pipeline 
will threaten the ecology and endangered wildlife species in Kanchanaburi.

Laying of the pipeline began in February but the PTT, the project leader, is 
afraid opposition will delay its 16.5-billion-baht project, forcing it to pay 
a daily penalty of 40 million baht to the Burmese junta.

The PTT has said the pipeline will go through only 6km of fertile forests.

Mr Korn said the narrower route would necessitate felling fewer trees. 
Moreover, PTT would cut as few trees as possible, removing some during 
construction and replanting after.

The Forestry Department would determine the trees to be felled and those to be 
removed to be replanted later, Mr Korn said, adding the PTT has agreed to the 
proposal and to shoulder the increased cost.

The PTT would employ a more advanced engineering technique and would not build 
the pipeline through forests during the rainy season to minimise the impact, 
he added.