Time For Solid Policy Not Dreams On Environment, Thai Lawmakers Told

[webfact]

Time for solid policy not dreams on environment, lawmakers told

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Seminar tells MPs no party has seriously tackled problems in 10 years

Former senior environmental officers and activists have called on all political parties to support public participation in environmental policymaking and to come up with concrete measures, not just pipe dreams. They have also asked parties to propose clear national regulations to control industrial activities that cause damage to environmental and natural resources.

"We just want a clear policy to improve the country's environment and natural resources. They don't need to go into detail," said Pramote Maikrad, a former director-general of the Irrigation Department.

As a senior environmentalist, he said he has never seen any political party volunteer to seriously oversee the country's environmental problems during the past 10 years.

"They [politicians] always are selling dreams to voters and never come up with concrete policies and implementation after the election," he said.

"They have an idea but do not look at the way to implement the idea," he said.

He was speaking at a recent roundtable discussion on "Political Party Policy and the Thai Environment" organised by The Nation and its sister publications. Academics, environmental activists and representatives from the Pheu Thai, Bhum Jai Thai and Democrat parties also presented their suggestions and policies to deal with environmental problems.

"When politicians announce their environmental policy to increase forested areas across the country, they should explain how to recover from deforestation, not just give a plan to increase plantation areas," Pramote told participants in the discussion.

He also opposed a mega project to divert water from one main river to remote areas via a pipeline.

"This project will never resolve the drought and water crisis in the country," he said.

People just need clear information about what actually will happen in their area so they can make their own plans for agricultural activities, he added.

Hannarong Yaowalert, president of the Foundation for Integrated Water Management, said public participation in environmental policies and mega projects with adverse consequences for natural resources and people's lives should be highlighted in a party's election campaign.

Politicians also should be checked on whether they follow through on their commitments to voters made during campaigning. Political parties should come up with a clear resolution for the three forestry laws that have been ambiguous over the past decades.

These laws have taken away people's rights to utilise land. Parties should also have a clear conclusion on the investment plan for the southern provinces and the plan to eliminate pollution in the eastern provinces' industrial areas, he added.

Chainoi Puankosoom, president of the Industrial Environment Institute, said industry wants the parties to draw up clear regulations and measures to control pollution and improve the environment in industrial areas.

Even though the government has forced industry to comply with strict environmental measures under Article 67(2) of the Constitution - which requires a health impact assessment (HIA) for industrial activities that harm the environment, natural resources and people's health - there are no clear national guidelines and regulations to help industry conduct the HIAs.

"We have no problem with complying with the government's strict environmental measures but when we conducted HIAs by ourselves we faced credibility problems with local villagers surrounding industrial areas," he said.

Sondhi Kotchawat, a member of the Senate environmental committee, said parties should issue policies to designate environmental protection areas and industrial zones like in Vietnam.

Parties should amend the Environmental Law to improve the management of the Environmental Fund, he said. Budgets under the fund were being misused. They were spent for construction of facilities such as waste ponds and containment areas but there was no budget allocated for maintenance.

The approval process for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) should also be revised, as the licence is not just a certification, he added.

Apirak Kosayodhin, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, said his party would focus on environmental policies that balance sustainable development and economic growth to minimise damage to natural resources.

The Democrats would enact a new set of laws to designate four areas as special administrative zones, giving power to local authorities to manage industrial activities and environmental controls. The four zones would be Chon Buri's Laem Chabang city, Rayong's Map Ta Phut subdistrict, Surat Tani's Samui district and Tak.

"Manufacturers conducting industrial activities would be required to pay an environmental tax according to the polluter pays principle," he said.

The Democrats will also introduce a low carbon society policy to reduce urban emissions. Public participation and the integration of state agencies responsible for natural disaster prevention will be a part of its policy, he added.

Poraphon Adireksarn, a representative of the Bhum Jai Thai Party, said his party would push the Budget Bureau to allocate more budget for the natural disaster prevention programme to mitigate damage for people.

"A preventive approach will be our way to deal with natural disasters," he said.

Plodprasop Suraswadee, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said the party would build a huge dam in the Gulf of Thailand to prevent flooding from the rising sea level in the future.

The party will also promote public transportation and introduce a railway system to reduce carbon emissions and save energy in urban areas, he added.

-- The Nation 2011-05-16

[Soutpeel]

"Plodprasop Suraswadee, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said the party would build a huge dam in the Gulf of Thailand to prevent flooding from the rising sea level in the future"

Some times it pays to keep your mouth shut .....

[jaltsc]

"Plodprasop Suraswadee, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said the party would build a huge dam in the Gulf of Thailand to prevent flooding from the rising sea level in the future"

Some times it pays to keep your mouth shut .....

While he's at it...Why not build a Disney World on top of the dam. The voters would love that....and most likely believe it.

[exbelg]

as long as thailand has a mai pen rai attitude for garbage burners, nothing will ever change...

[animatic]

"Plodprasop Suraswadee, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said the party would build a huge dam in the Gulf of Thailand to prevent flooding from the rising sea level in the future"

Some times it pays to keep your mouth shut .....

It never ceases to amaze at the mediocrities they intend to foist on the populace as 'leaders'.

The concept of environmental repair and protection is laudable, but this guy ignores the 'Not Dreams' part of the title and goes right off into the deep pool of foolishness.

Now lets compare to the Democrats plans...

Apirak Kosayodhin, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, said his party would focus on environmental policies that balance sustainable development and economic growth to minimise damage to natural resources.

The Democrats would enact a new set of laws to designate four areas as special administrative zones, giving power to local authorities to manage industrial activities and environmental controls.

The four zones would be

Chon Buri's Laem Chabang city,

Rayong's Map Ta Phut subdistrict,

Surat Tani's Samui district

and Tak.

Not sure what they would plan on Samui, though changing the environmental impact controls would be a big plus for Samui..

Plenty of space in Surat Thani for industrial development part way between the proposed Satun Seaport and Bangkok on the opposite coast.

Edited May 16, 2011 by animatic

[swifty5x5]

I think the idea is good.

[sirchai]

"Plodprasop Suraswadee, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, said the party would build a huge dam in the Gulf of Thailand to prevent flooding from the rising sea level in the future"

Some times it pays to keep your mouth shut .....

While he's at it...Why not build a Disney World on top of the dam. The voters would love that....and most likely believe it.

And on top of Disney World the biggest sea water aquarium on earth, paid by Khun Thaksin..............:jap:

[sirchai]

as long as thailand has a mai pen rai attitude for garbage burners, nothing will ever change...

"They have an idea but do not look at the way to implement the idea," he said.

Doesn't that mean that they've got no idea?:jap:

[krangeek]

Note the difference between the Vietnamese Government and any Thai 'administration' of any stripe.

It is simply not of the Thai mindset to care less about their environment, and the government are no different in this regard. They simply want to make money from it. From dropping litter wheresoever - and this is NOT just the poor and uneducated. Go to any waterfall or national 'park' and watch the cashed up, fortuner driving, nikon waving halfwits dropping their wrappers/cans where they stand, not even bothering to move their lazy <deleted> a few feet to the one and only bin provided.

Where I am on Phuket, the sois are simply used as repositories for all manner of refuse. Just one large sign threatening a 10k fine erected over an area of several hundred rai. I stood over some kid who was unloading lumps of old painted concrete just before aforesaid sign and stood over him whilst he reloaded his no number plate/ripped out lights, samlor. I know he will simply dump it somewhere else and that what he'd been doing was very likely on the orders of some 'boss', but it has to start somewhere.

A wire container for the stinking trash from one particular 'bungalow resort', would be another.

Education in the form of tv would also be a good idea. They have them for handwashing, so why not rat/maggot infested garbage enclosed - before the soi dogs get to it, and who can blame them, they're left to starve, get to strew it up the sois, much of which ends up in the ocean. Along with the shit and piss from the multifarious 'upscale' hotels here.

And as to their various laughable proposals (we have idea - oh yeah? There's a novelty! - But we not know how to implement.) Which will evaporate as soon as whichever shower get in next.

Rant over.

[Prichard]

as long as thailand has a mai pen rai attitude for garbage burners, nothing will ever change...

It's so true about mai pen rai attitude. I believe it is the cause of so many problems in Thailand. It is getting worse when it becomes 'don't care' atitude. A case in point - a Pu Yai Baan once told me that a certain law/regulation cannot be enforced in his village because that would interrupt a livelihood of a group of people in his village. He kept telling me 'mai pen rai, mai pen rai' we are ok. As a result a certain illegal activity continued occurring at his village. Sigh ...

[globalmenace]

Far too late. I am aghast at how bad it has become. Uncontrolled development has ruined many parts of this country. But 99% of the population just don't care.

[krangeek]

1. And this from today's Guardian http://tinyurl.com/3syh4uj
   

You can see just how seriously this or any preceding Thai governments take the issue of their country's decimation of natural wildlife habitats by paying their park rangers a MAXIMUM of five lousy baht PER MONTH.

Here's an idea. Show that you really give a rat's by employing more, many more, at a living wage. Before you wake up one day to find, it's all GONE.

[tigermonkey]

Far too late. I am aghast at how bad it has become. Uncontrolled development has ruined many parts of this country. But 99% of the population just don't care.

" You can't see it from my house " This is not a Thai expression, but it should be in frequent use here , as it is in other parts of the world.

My point ? -- people are the same everywhere about this problem. However, some places are blessed with leaders who lead, and agitators who motivate.

[Thai at Heart]

Why should anyone care when there is no way to sanction anyone for wrongdoing?

We can all write signs about littering, burning, etc. But who is going to enforce it?

[RickBradford]

Note the difference between the Vietnamese Government and any Thai 'administration' of any stripe.

You surely cannot be serious. Having lived in Vietnam for over a decade, I can assure you that the stench of excrement hangs over most of the major urban areas, and the govenrnment's efforts to improve the situation were desultory at best.

At one crossroads on Vo Van Tan street (Saigon), you had to remember that this became a roundabout after dark, as all the citizens piled their garbage in the middle of the road, waiting for some old ladies with carts to remove it. Many a hapless (or drunk) farang on a motorbike has done a header into a pile of domestic waste of an evening.

The span between District 1 and District 4 was widely known as 'The Bridge of Turds' (none of which were laid by dogs), and a large corrugated-iron fence nearby was so worn away by urine that it was almost impossible to read the sign "Forbidden to urinate here" painted on the fence.

Thailand is filthy -- nowhere more so than the 'national park' on Ko Samet, which is a disgrace, but to suggest that the Vietnamese are any better is to ignore reality.