Villagers vow to fight Thai-Malaysian pipeline
Date: 20-May-02
Country: THAILAND
Author: Sasithorn Simaporn
"Villagers are on round-the-clock security alert and we will not allow any outsiders to get within a two kilometre radius from our villages," said protest leader Suriya Sakkariya.
"This project not only affects our community, but it hurts the entire country and we will continue to fight on."
After a previous route was greeted with protests, the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced last Friday the onshore part of the pipeline would be moved five km (3.13 miles) in order to avoid environmental objections.
The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) and Malaysia's Petronas are joint operators of the proposed gas pipeline project, worth 30 billion baht ($698.8 million).
The pipeline will be laid from the Thai-Malaysian Joint Development Area (JDA) natural gas project in the Gulf of Thailand to the southern Thai province of Songkhla, and then on to Kedah state in northern Malaysia.
Construction of the pipeline and a gas separation plant was due to begin early in 2001 but has been awaiting environmental approval and has been delayed by fierce opposition from environmentalists and villagers in Songkhla.
Prommin Lertsuridej, a personal secretary to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, told reporters last week opposition had subsided significantly after the government changed the route.
"The government has told the PTT to work closely with villagers in the area to hear their opinions in order to avoid opposition to the scheme," Prommin said.
But villagers were unconvinced.
"We know the government is sending a PR team to persuade villagers in the area to agree with the project, but we will not allow them to build the pipeline here," said Kittipop Suthisawang, a leader of another anti-pipeline group in Chana.
Kittipop said the town is a major breeder of Javanese turtledoves.
He said environmental experts warn the scheme could threaten the breeding cycle of 200,000 doves, jeopardizing a business worth a billion baht a year to the village.
Years of delays have prompted Malaysia to threaten to go it alone with the project. (With additional reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan).
