Thai Cabinet Endorses List Of 11 Harmful Industrial Projects

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Cabinet endorses list of 11 harmful activities

By Jeerapong Prasertpholkrang,

Yossawadee Hongthong,

Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul

THE NATION

But eastern residents say many unhealthy activities not included

The Cabinet yesterday approved a list of just 11 activities deemed to have a serious impact on health, quality of life and the local surroundings, despite protests from activists.

With the green light from Cabinet, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti quickly signed the announcement and his ministry started the process to get the decision published in the Royal Gazette.

The announcement will take effect once it appears in the Gazette.

The Network of Eastern Residents submitted a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva during yesterday's Cabinet meeting. It called on Abhisit to object to the listing of only 11 activities as having a serious impact on people's health and quality of life, and the environment.

Prepared by the National Environment Board (NEB), the list won endorsement from the Natural Resources and Environ-ment Ministry before being put to the Cabinet.

The network, led by Sutti Atchasai, accused the NEB of drawing up the list without truly listening to people, non-government groups or academic institutes.

Its letter said the rational used to prepare the list was debatable. It also encouraged the government to assign the National Health Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, and independent organisations working on the environment and health issues to prepare a new list instead.

The network said all projects in sensitive areas such as areas with water sources or pollution-control areas should be listed as having a serious impact on local people and areas. It also said the list should be revised every two years.

Dr Chuchai Suphawong, who sits in the four-sector panel established by the government to solve the Map Ta Phut crisis, said he advised the network to call on Abhisit.

"We want to see the government list 18 activities as having serious impacts," Chuchai said, referring to the 18 activities recommended by his panel.

Chuchai said his panel spent up to eight months gathering information from people and academics in all regions before making its recommendations.

He said the illnesses and disabilities suffered by Map Ta Phut residents were living proofs of how much damage industrial projects could cause. Chuchai said Abhisit should show his decisiveness in reviewing the announcement put forward by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

But if the PM did not do this, people would need to turn to the Administrative Court for help.

The court is due to give a ruling tomorrow on whether 76 industrial projects - most of them suspended - can proceed without having to honour conditions prescribed in Section 67 of the Constitution for projects likely to have a serious impact on people's health, quality of life and their local environment.

An informed source said just two of the 76 suspended projects would fall under Section 67 if only 11 activities were listed as likely to cause serious impacts.

Abhisit explained that an appeal could be made to put more activities on the list of activities deemed likely to have a serious impact on people and the environment later, if they were found to really cause harmful consequences.

He insisted that he had not ignored the four-sector panel's recommendations.

To avoid further legal complications, operators of 65 projects still suspended at Map Ta Phut are waiting for a ruling by the Central Administrative Court tomorrow on whether they can proceed with their projects. Several projects are undergoing health impact assessments and public hearings to comply with the Constitution's Article 67 (2).

-- The Nation 2010-09-01

[asiawatcher]

Is there any possibility to report the actual activities and see what the environmentalists are petitioning about?