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THE NATION: Politics: Committee lik
- Subject: THE NATION: Politics: Committee lik
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 09:19:00
THE NATION: Politics: Committee likely to investigate Yadna pipeline project
NEGOTIATIORS discussing the
controversial Yadana gas pipeline being
built in Kanchanaburi are close to agreeing
on the establishment of a national
committee to examine the project, informed
sources said Sunday.
The committee, which would reportedly be
chaired by former PM Anand Panyarachun,
will look at all aspects surrounding the
project for eight to 10 days and then pass
on its findings to the Cabinet, which will
then make a final decision on how to
proceed with the pipeline.
Construction of the pipeline will be halted
while the committee holds its deliberations,
but the protestors who have been
hampering construction by camping out in
the Kanchanaburi forest will have to close
down their encampment and leave the site
once the Cabinet has made its decision.
A final agreement on the national
committee had yet to be reached as of
early Sunday evening, according to one
NGO source, but if the details can ultimately
be worked out, a press conference is due
to be held at Parliament this morning to
announce the agreement.
The committee -- which is slated to include
such public figures as social critic Dr
Prawase Wasi, Thammasat University's
Kaewsan Atipoh, Bangchak chief Sophon
Suphapong, Sen Paibool Wattanaseritham,
Mahidol University's Chirapol Sintunawa,
and Suraphol Sudara and Chaiwat
Satha-anand from Chulalongkorn University
-- will then begin to meet tomorrow.
According to the source, the committee will
not be limited to discussing the pipeline's
route but can examine all aspects of the
project, including its much-criticised
environmental-impact assessment and the
current state of Thailand's energy demands.
Among the issues still being discussed in
Sunday's negotiations, which were being
carried out by telephone and coordinated
with the help of PM's Office Minister
Supatra Masdit, was the amount of time to
be given to the committee for deliberations,
and by extension the length of the work
stoppage.
Pipeline opponents were calling for a
construction moratorium of 10 days, while
the Petroleum of Authority of Thailand (PTT)
wanted it limited to eight, according to the
NGO source, who stated that the oil
company also objected to TV broadcasts of
the committee's proceedings
PTT officials could not be reached for
comment Sunday but in the past have
objected strongly to delays in construction,
claiming it will have to pay stiff fines to its
contractor for each day of delay and even
larger fines to its partners in Burma if it
does not finish the project on time.
The NGO source also noted that while
opponents would have to halt their forest
sit-in once the Cabinet made a final
decision on the project, they would still be
free to carry out other activities.
The opponents, who include both local
conservationists and national environmental
groups, have called for the pipeline's route
to be changed so it does not pass through
a pristine watershed-forest area which is
home to numerous wildlife, including
several herds of elephants.
Most people in Kanchanaburi and
Ratchaburi provinces, the media and
Bangkok residents support the Yadana
gas-pipeline project, according to a recent
poll by Suan Dusit Rajabhat Institute.
Almost 60 per cent of Bangkok residents,
69.67 per cent of the press and 82.29 per
cent of Kanchanaburi people said they
thought the government should complete
the project.
But supporters said that the project should
be subject to a number of conditions,
including minimial impact on the
environment, a reliable safety-control
system and adherence to building
standards.
Only 8.68 per cent of Kanchanaburi and
Ratchaburi residents disapproved of the
project, suggesting that the government
should instead campaign for energy saving,
find other natural resources and review its
assessment of the advantages and
drawbacks of the project. Meanwhile, 11.13
per cent of the press and 11.13 per cent of
Bangkok residents said the project should
be scrapped.
More than 60 per cent of respondents in
Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces
said they were confident that the Petroleum
Authority of Thailand had adhered to safety
standards during construction.
However, 54.08 per cent of the press and
60.19 per cent of Bangkok residents said
they had no confidence in the safety of the
construction, citing corruption, and lack of
safety standards and information about the
construction.
BY JAMES FAHN
The Nation