THE NATION: Heed lessons of Yadana

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Headlines 

      Heed lessons of Yadana,
      govt urged

      ENVIRONMENTAL groups warned the
      government not to rush ahead with the
      Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline and repeat the
      mistakes of the Thai-Burmese project,
      especially with regard to transparency and
      public participation. 

      Banchong Nasae, president of Songkhla's
      non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
      network, called on the government to
      release all details of the gas-purchasing
      contracts between the Thai and Malaysian
      governments. 

      ''We need to know exactly what
      commitment the government has made in
      this project to prevent it claiming in future
      that it cannot amend anything with regard to
      the project due to commitments made in
      the purchasing contract, as was the case in
      the Thai-Burmese gas pipeline project,'' he
      said. 

      ''We don't want to only know about the gas
      pipeline project, but also about related
      industries according to the government's
      plan. Residents of Songkhla should get an
      early opportunity to see the whole picture of
      what's going to happen in their province.'' 

      The Songkhla NGOs made the statement
      two days before the signing ceremony in
      Songkhla between Prime Minister Chuan
      Leekpai and Malaysian counterpart
      Mahathir Mohamad. The statement called
      on the press to investigate the owners of
      land along the pipeline route, claiming that
      some speculators were linked to politicians
      who supported the project. 

      ''Some of the land was community property
      but was sold and the deeds processed
      illegally,'' the press statement claimed. 

      The local network also asked for a clear
      public hearing on the issue, and advised
      the project owner to seek approval from the
      local committee -- the Lake of Songkhla
      Development Board. 

      During the signing ceremony on April 22,
      24 students from the Prince of Songkhla
      University (Had Yai) gathered to protest
      with banners asking several pointed
      questions, including: 

      -Why did the signing ceremony take place
      without a public hearing? 

      -What guarantee is there that the project will
      not mirror the mistakes of the Yadana
      project? 

      -And, why did the project not seek the
      approval of local organisations like the
      Lake of Songkhla Development Board? 

      Bangkok-based academic Dr Suraphol
      Duangkhae of the Wildlife Fund of Thailand
      (WFT) said the project looks like it will
      repeat mistakes made with Yadana. There
      must be a guarantee that this project will be
      more transparent and take into account the
      wishes of the public to a greater extent than
      the Yadana project, he said. 

      ''One day, the project's owner will admit to
      its problems and say we can do nothing
      except follow the commitment that we have
      already signed,'' he said. 

      Dr Suraphol suggested that to increase
      transparency in the project, the government
      should consult with groups that opposed
      Yadana to gain feedback on the process
      and requirements needed to run it properly. 

      ''Thai people, especially in Songkhla,
      should have been approached before the
      signing of the purchasing agreement. We
      need to know about the gas demands and
      the whole plan, its negative impact as well
      as its benefits,'' he explained. 

      Witoon Permphongsacharoen of the
      Toward Ecological Recovery and Regional
      Alliance (Terra) said it can be proved that
      the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT)
      has lied to the Thai people. 

      ''When we discussed the necessities of the
      Yadana project, PTT said that the imported
      gas was really required and that
      Malaysian-sourced gas cannot be
      guaranteed. Its official even said that the
      JDA cannot be developed,'' he said. 

      ''The PTT never let us ask about the whole
      energy plan and pressured us to only be
      concerned with project details,'' he added. 

      In response to the criticism, PTT's senior
      official Piti Pungprasert announced on the
      day before the signing ceremony that a
      public hearing and environmental impact
      assessment (EIA) report would be
      conducted, but after the signing ceremony.
      Both processes would take place within this
      year, he said. 

      However, he said, the process of granting
      public participation and encouraging
      transparency in the project are not clear
      even though both concepts are stated in the
      law and well accepted in society. 

      Meanwhile, Songkiat Thansamrit, PTT's
      Public Relations Department chief, denied
      an accusation that the project's signing
      ceremony may not conform to the new
      Constitution. 

      BY KAMOL SUKIN 

      The Nation