The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is petitioning Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to consider revising the government’s southern Land Bridge megaproject, saying it is not worth investing in and could pose a serious threat to the environment and local way of life.
To back its call, the council has cited supportive findings from a number of studies previously conducted by different state agencies.
It is calling on the PM to instruct the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTTPP), and all other government organisations concerned, to offer clearer information about the Land Bridge and related projects, said council member Sayamol Kaiyoorawongs.
The NHRC also hopes that a sufficient number of new public hearings will be organised in Chumphon, Ranong and some neighbouring provinces, to gather opinions from all groups that might be affected by the project, she said on Thursday.
These include local fishermen, farmers, those who will face expropriation of their land, community tourism enterprises, ethnic minorities and displaced people in the aforementioned areas, Ms Sayamol said.
The Land Bridge, estimated by the Pheu Thai-led government to require an investment of one trillion baht, would consist of two major ports, one in Chumphon on the Gulf of Thailand and the other in Ranong on the Andaman Sea. They will be connected by a new highway and a railway, with other infrastructure such as industrial parks expected to follow.
Former prime minister Srettha Thavisin was an major cheerleader for the project, sounding out interest from major international businesses during his frequent travels during his brief term.
The NHRC wants the premier to assign state organisations with expertise in assessing the project’s possible impact on the environment, natural resources, fishing, agricultural practices, tourism and the traditional way of life in the affected areas to carry out a new study. The findings should then be used as input for further discussions on the project, she said.
“Following a number of complaints received from locals who will possibly be impacted by the land bridge project, the NHRC has researched more information about the project and become convinced by this that it would do more harm than good to various sides if the government presses ahead with implementing it this way,” she said.
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted by the OTTPP, for instance, was not really complete, as affected parties did not have a clear enough overall picture of how the project would affected them once it started, she said.
The lack of clarity stemmed from segmented information received from different state organisations at different times, Ms Sayamol said.
A review by the OTTPP also found that the EIA had not analysed the economic worthiness of the project when compared to the potentially negative impact, she noted.
In another study conducted in 2016, Ranong was found to be most suitable for designation as an area of natural resources preservation, while the proposed land bridge project was found to be not worth investing in, she said.
The OTTPP therefore recommended to the previous government that the project be suspended.
