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Bangkok Post 97/01/05 GAS PIPELIN



January 5, 1998



                                       







              GAS PIPELINE PROJECT / PROTEST CONTINUES


              Sulak urges 
              peaceful dialogue

                Pipeline laying 'hurts plants and 
              animals'

                   Chakrit Ridmontri 
                Kanchanaburi


              Disputes over the gas pipeline project between conservation 
              groups and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand will be solved if 
              the two sides stick to the principle of peaceful dialogue, social 
              critic Sulak Sivaraksa said.

              Mr Sulak told the groups staging a sit-in protest at the pipeline's 
              construction site last weekend to conduct their protest in a 
              peaceful manner. He said this was the only way out.

              "Don't think that the non-violent action is powerless. If you (the 
              protesters) stick to peaceful means in solving the disputes, you 
              will win," he said.

              The groups began their protest at the construction site last week 
              after their attempt to talk to the government about the possibility 
              of rerouting the pipeline away from the forests failed.

              About 50 protesters comprising Kanchanaburi conservation 
              group, students from conservation clubs of 16 universities and 
              supporters from Bangkok, are camping across the pipeline route 
              at Huey Pa Khok forest in Thong Pha Phum district. 

              The area is classified as first grade watershed forest and also the 
              habitat of wild elephants, hog-nose bat and queen crab which 
              are found only in this forest.

              The PTT which is in charge of the project's construction is laying 
              the 260km pipeline starting from the Thai-Burmese border at 
              I-tong village to a gas power plant in Ratchaburi. It signed 
              contracts with the gas drilling consortium five years ago to buy 
              gas from Burma's Yadana and Yetagun fields in the Andaman 
              Sea.

              Disputes arose when the PTT began the pipeline's construction 
              last year and intensified last November after the cabinet allowed 
              it to begin working on the first 50km of the pipeline route which 
              is covered with forests. About six km of the forest section is lush 
              and classified as protected area.

              "It is so sad that the PTT claims that it would replant trees and 
              flowers above the location where the pipeline is buried. Laying 
              the gas pipeline is never peaceful because it destroys plants and 
              affects animals and villagers.

              "PTT must stop looking down on the villagers and protesters. If 
              the PTT and the government want to end the disputes, it must 
              engage in peaceful talks with opponents," he said.

              He said not only conservation groups oppose the gas pipeline 
              project but also civil groups across the country, so Premier 
              Chuan Leekpai should oversee the case himself.

              He also called on the PTT not to insist on going ahead with the 
              project as long as it could not resolve the issue with the groups. 
              He said the economic crunch had reduced the demand for 
              energy in the country, so it was not necessary to build the project 
              in haste. 

              Mr Sulak charged that the PTT was lying that the project must 
              be completed before the middle of this year otherwise it would 
              be fined 40 million baht per day by the gas drilling consortium 
              which comprises Total of France, Unocal of USA, Burmese gas 
              enterprise and a PTT affiliated company.

              He said there were clauses in the contracts indicating that both 
              the PTT and the consortium would not be subject to fines if the 
              project was not completed on time due to the protest.

              Boonsong Chansongrassamee, leader of Kanchanaburi 
              Conservation group, said the protest would continue unless the 
              PTT halted construction work and resumed discussion with the 
              groups.

              According to Mr Boonsong, the groups would take tougher 
              action this week in an attempt to stop the PTT from cutting trees 
              in lush forests. He said the roads that the PTT built in the forests 
              to carry the pipes and construction materials had facilitated 
              outsiders to occupy land in the forests which were once 
              inaccessible.

              Members of student conservation clubs from across the country 
              also launched a campaign at Sanam Luang in Bangkok 
              yesterday. Called "Amazing the PTT", the students informed 
              tourists who joined the Amazing Thailand festival currently taking 
              place there about negative impacts of the project.