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BKK Post, March 11, 1998 GAS PIPELI
- Subject: BKK Post, March 11, 1998 GAS PIPELI
- From: burma@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 21:52:00
March 11, 1998
GAS PIPELINE PROTEST
Sulak arrest our initiative, claims PTT
Government has nothing to do with it
Chakrit Ridmontri
Fears about the politicisation of the arrest of social critic Sulak
Sivaraksa prompted the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) to call an
urgent press conference yesterday to defend its actions and the
government.
PTT executives maintained that it was their own initiative to have Mr
Sulak arrested and the government had nothing to do with it.
Suwanunt Chatiudompunth, senior vice president for planning, said the
urgent press conference was aimed at preventing any attempt to link Mr
Sulak'a arrest with current political manoeuvres by opposition parties
which are planning a censure debate against the government next week.
"The government didn't order us to organise this press conference. We
just don't want anybody to link the project's opposition to politics,"
he added.
In a rare public appearance, PTT's governor Pala Sukhawech said: "We
don't want to take harsh action against Mr Sulak. We just pleaded with
him to give us the forest area so we can continue laying the gas
pipeline."
Mr Sulak moved into the forest last week after conservationist opponents
terminated their month-long sit-in protest to block the pipeline laying
through the lush Huey Khayeng forest in Kanchanaburi's Thong Pha Phum
district.
The opponents agreed to end their protest action on condition that Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai appoint a public information panel to review the
project details.
The panel chaired by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun gave the
project the go-ahead but suggested the PTT act quickly to alleviate the
social and environmental impact. The opponents pulled out of their
forest camp after Mr Chuan agreed with the conclusion and ordered the
project to continue.
However, Mr Sulak refused to accept the panel's conclusion, saying it
failed to address the issue of the oppression of Burmese ethnic
minorities in Burma.
"It's not fair that Mr Sulak renewed the protest because he is the
chairman of two organisations that vowed to call off the protest after
premier Chuan has made a decision about the project," said Mr Pala.
Piti Yimprasert, president of the PTT Gas, expressed concern that Mr
Sulak's opposition would have a negative impact on the PTT by arousing
international pressure.
"I am relieved that Mr Sulak left the forest but worried that he would
lodge a complaint against us at international institutions such as the
International Monetary Fund," he said.
In its press release, the PTT claimed that it has followed up on the
panel's recommendations to tackle problems involving affected villagers
living along the pipeline route. It has so far dealt with 20 of the 76
villagers.
The PTT is about to accomplish laying the 260-kilometer gas pipeline
running from the border of Thailand and Burma at I-tong village in
Kanchanaburi's Thong Pha Phum district to a gas power plant in
Ratchaburi.
The six-kilometre section through lush Huay Khayeng forest remains the
only section still incomplete because of the protest.
Mr Pala said laying the pipeline in this section is very costly because
the pipeline would climb up a steep terrace. The construction company
wanted from the PTT an additional 500 million baht for the extra cost in
employing a special construction method to lay the pipeline on the
mountain.
The PTT has to finish the gas pipeline by July 1, which is the date that
the gas exploration consortium in Burma will deliver gas from Yadana
field to the PTT.
However, it is uncertain whether the pipeline or gas power plant will be
finished on time.
Mr Pala said if the PTT or the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand, which is in charge of building the gas power plant, missed the
deadline for a few months, the PTT would not be liable for the stiff
fine to the consortium as it could take delivery later in the year.
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