PM calls for public support for infrastructure projects

[Lite Beer]

PM calls for public support for infrastructure projects

BANGKOK, 17 July 2015 (NNT) – Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted that all infrastructure projects require support from the people in order to be able to move forward.

Speaking on his weekly TV program “Returning Happiness to the People”, Prime Minister Prayut said the government is proceeding with its planned infrastructure projects, such as the development of energy and garbage management systems and the construction of power plants and seaports. He added that responsible agencies are making sure the projects do not have adverse effects on the environment or the livelihood of the locals.

However, the premier admitted some projects could have a slight impact on residents, in which case compensation would certainly be provided for all affected individuals. According to him, a problem that is more of a cause for concern at present is the people’s voicing of opposition to the projects during public forums.

Prime Minister Prayut has instructed his deputies and related ministers to compile problems from all projects in a bid to find effective solutions to them. He, therefore, called on the public to be open-minded and allow the projects to be realized for their own benefit, saying their support is vital.

-- NNT 2015-07-18

[Pib]

...a problem that is more of a cause for concern at present is the people’s voicing of opposition to the projects during public forums.

The govt just don't like anyone voicing any opposition to anything they propose or do.

[MZurf]

"Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted that all infrastructure projects require support from the people in order to be able to move forward."

Was something lost in translation because it not then this was one of Uncle Too's famous jokes...

[ChrisY1]

People have to object if their life is going to be impacted by some of these projects.....I'm not even sure there has actually been enough time for comprehensive planning for any of these projects....and planning is something that Thais are not too good at...! Deep sea ports....how does any government plan this in just one year?

Asking (telling) people that they must agree just won't work!

[chainarong]

I notice missing in this article and would you believe I missed the Friday night bringing "Happiness to the People", as I was in the bottle drink que and missed another gut wrenching programme, but I can't help notice no mentioned of the rail high speed projects , which will displace lots of people and farmers to make way for the Per - way and I didn't see any mention of future projects like 5 new dams.

[Eric Loh]

Didn't the Constitutional Court ruled that the infrastructure projects are unconstitutional last year? Never mind, different time different stroke.

[metisdead]

Troll posts have been removed.

[baboon]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

[djjamie]

Didn't the Constitutional Court ruled that the infrastructure projects are unconstitutional last year? Never mind, different time different stroke.

Yes they did my friend.

That was due to the last govt funding the project "off budget" thus it would not be transparent and the ability of them to be scrutinised by parliament would be negated.

I suspect the funding for this project will be "on budget" though if you are able to provide evidence to show otherwise I look forward to it.

Have a nice evening.

[Andreas2]

Going back to an article from six years ago:

In Industrial Thailand, Health and Business Concerns Collide

MAP TA PHUT, Thailand — Villagers here avoid walking in the rain because they say it burns their skin and causes their hair to fall out. They have trouble breathing at night when, they say, factories release toxic fumes. And they are terrified by what studies show are unusually high cancer rates.
...
Among the companies affected are Bayer, the German pharmaceutical giant; Aditya Birla Chemicals, an Indian conglomerate; BlueScope Steel of Australia; and two dozen companies belonging to P.T.T., the Thai energy giant.
...
The generals who carried out Thailand’s 2006 military coup promulgated a new Constitution that strengthened environmental law, requiring detailed studies before the approval of any project that causes “serious impact” to the environment or people’s health."
...
The government says it is moving as quickly as it can to pass the requisite laws that will allow the injunction to be lifted. But Mr. Srisuwan calls this lawsuit only the “tip of the iceberg.”

Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/world/asia/19thai.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Fast forward to the article above:

Prime Minister Prayut has instructed his deputies and related ministers to compile problems from all projects in a bid to find effective solutions to them. He, therefore, called on the public to be open-minded and allow the projects to be realized for their own benefit, saying their support is vital.

I leave it to the open-minded readers to draw their conclusions after having read:
- (2009) a new Constitution that strengthened environmental law, requiring detailed studies before the approval of any project that causes “serious impact” to the environment or people’s health.
and
- (2015) He [the general], therefore, called on the public to be open-minded and allow the projects to be realized for their own benefit, saying their support is vital.

Please correct me if I'm of the wrong impression, that within the last 6 years there has not much changed regarding:
strengthened environmental law, requiring detailed studies before the approval of any project that causes “serious impact” to the environment or people’s health.

Does the Thai government (regardless of their colour) so obviously show the same attitude regarding "environmental law" as they are already openly performing towards "Thai aviation safety standards"?

[naboo]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

Sshh! Comments like this do not bring happiness to the people.

[djjamie]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

A good point.... though off subject, yet I will enjoy discussing it in an appropriate forum.

[Thian]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

So the army is not allowed to handle watermanagement problems who have been neglected for decades? There's a severe draught going on which also is part of the watermanagementsystem, do you realise that?

And the seaport in Myanmar is the ultimate chance for Thailand to get a real seaport. Should the government let this chance go buy and let the export suffer from that?

I'm still very happy with the army, finally the country gets organised well. There's still loads of work to do but at least there's a start now.

[phoenixdoglover]

I'm sorry, this just seems to be another "sit down and shut up" message.

People should have a right to express their concerns and to criticize infrastructure projects in any peaceful way that does not infringe on the rights of others. The government should have a process for all large projects to solicit, collect and publish public comments. And it should be possible to challenge the government in court to demonstrate they followed the process.

It's not so difficult and it shows respect for the citizens of each affected area.

Edited July 18, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[NongKhaiKid]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

Can't leave money in the kitty for the next govt to, misuse ?

A real conspiracy theorist might suggest it's to set up a reason to stay and finish all they've started.

Edited July 18, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[jerojero]

Why does he need public support for anything! Afraid of an uprising when taxes are raised?

[Yunla]

The "we're all in this together" card is the one that fills me with the most dread, it is often played when nearing a predicted crisis. The water running out in a few weeks is an obvious one, but there could be other events on the horizon too. All I know is that life has taught me that whenever I hear "we're all in this together" phrases, I should put my helmet on and hide behind the sofa.

[baboon]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

So the army is not allowed to handle watermanagement problems who have been neglected for decades? There's a severe draught going on which also is part of the watermanagementsystem, do you realise that?

And the seaport in Myanmar is the ultimate chance for Thailand to get a real seaport. Should the government let this chance go buy and let the export suffer from that?

I'm still very happy with the army, finally the country gets organised well. There's still loads of work to do but at least there's a start now.

What qualifies the army to be handling water management issues any more than nurses, electricians or plumbers? Why not draft squaddies in to make up for the shortfall of doctors in public hospitals while we are at it?

Why did the army who were in power decades ago allow water management to go neglected or was everything just peachy when they were running the show?

[baboon]

The "we're all in this together" card is the one that fills me with the most dread, it is often played when nearing a predicted crisis. The water running out in a few weeks is an obvious one, but there could be other events on the horizon too. All I know is that life has taught me that whenever I hear "we're all in this together" phrases, I should put my helmet on and hide behind the sofa.

I know what you mean. "We're all in this together" invariably means "YOU are all in this together"...

[MZurf]

Err, remind me again why an administration who seized power in order to restore peace and a swift return to democracy is involving itself with deep sea ports and waste management systems? Surely the focus should be on the upcoming elections and the policies of the prospective candidates in fields such as these?

A good point.... though off subject, yet I will enjoy discussing it in an appropriate forum.

What's the point?! All you come up with is "..but, but, but....Thaksin!" anyway.

[halloween]

What qualifies the army to be handling water management issues any more than nurses, electricians or plumbers? Why not draft squaddies in to make up for the shortfall of doctors in public hospitals while we are at it?

Why did the army who were in power decades ago allow water management to go neglected or was everything just peachy when they were running the show?

I notice you don't want to compare the qualifications of army generals to somebody's out-of-work idiot sister.

[baboon]

What qualifies the army to be handling water management issues any more than nurses, electricians or plumbers? Why not draft squaddies in to make up for the shortfall of doctors in public hospitals while we are at it?

Why did the army who were in power decades ago allow water management to go neglected or was everything just peachy when they were running the show?

I notice you don't want to compare the qualifications of army generals to somebody's out-of-work idiot sister.

Why would I? What are you talking about?

[halloween]

What qualifies the army to be handling water management issues any more than nurses, electricians or plumbers? Why not draft squaddies in to make up for the shortfall of doctors in public hospitals while we are at it?

Why did the army who were in power decades ago allow water management to go neglected or was everything just peachy when they were running the show?

I notice you don't want to compare the qualifications of army generals to somebody's out-of-work idiot sister.

Why would I? What are you talking about?

The relative qualifications of current and past governments to carry out infrastructure projects. Isn't that the topic?

[MZurf]

What qualifies the army to be handling water management issues any more than nurses, electricians or plumbers? Why not draft squaddies in to make up for the shortfall of doctors in public hospitals while we are at it?

Why did the army who were in power decades ago allow water management to go neglected or was everything just peachy when they were running the show?

I notice you don't want to compare the qualifications of army generals to somebody's out-of-work idiot sister.

Why would I? What are you talking about?

Don't try to ask the cheerleaders reasonable questions. All you ever get is "but, but, but...Thaksin!"

[baboon]

What qualifies the army to be handling water management issues any more than nurses, electricians or plumbers? Why not draft squaddies in to make up for the shortfall of doctors in public hospitals while we are at it?

Why did the army who were in power decades ago allow water management to go neglected or was everything just peachy when they were running the show?

I notice you don't want to compare the qualifications of army generals to somebody's out-of-work idiot sister.

Why would I? What are you talking about?

The relative qualifications of current and past governments to carry out infrastructure projects. Isn't that the topic?

Yes? What do out of work relatives of some somebody have to do with my point that the army are no better qualified than nurses, electricians and plumbers, or the fact they have been running the country for an awful long time without carrying out such infrastructure projects in the past if they do indeed possess the appropriate credentials, as you seem to be implying?

[Eric Loh]

Didn't the Constitutional Court ruled that the infrastructure projects are unconstitutional last year? Never mind, different time different stroke.

Yes they did my friend.

That was due to the last govt funding the project "off budget" thus it would not be transparent and the ability of them to be scrutinised by parliament would be negated.

I suspect the funding for this project will be "on budget" though if you are able to provide evidence to show otherwise I look forward to it.

Have a nice evening.[/quote

Putting everything into context, off budget funding in Thailand is not a new PT phenomenon and government in the past have funded programs with off budget. Actually the most recent off budget that meet with no oppositions legislatively or judicially was in 2009 TKK programs. This current government infrastructure will certainly funded with part off budget and private investment. Just too big to be allocated in the regular budget without affecting expenditures for other important segments. Cheers.

[halloween]

Yes? What do out of work relatives of some somebody have to do with my point that the army are no better qualified than nurses, electricians and plumbers, or the fact they have been running the country for an awful long time without carrying out such infrastructure projects in the past if they do indeed possess the appropriate credentials, as you seem to be implying?

Don't be deliberately obtuse. I am saying that the current PM, at worst, is as qualified as the last.

[baboon]

Yes? What do out of work relatives of some somebody have to do with my point that the army are no better qualified than nurses, electricians and plumbers, or the fact they have been running the country for an awful long time without carrying out such infrastructure projects in the past if they do indeed possess the appropriate credentials, as you seem to be implying?

Don't be deliberately obtuse. I am saying that the current PM, at worst, is as qualified as the last.

Ahh, now I see what you mean. For a moment I honestly thought you might have a point other than 'But... But Thaksin/Yingluck...' Clearly not. Why didn't you just cut to the chase in the first place, then?

[halloween]

Ahh, now I see what you mean. For a moment I honestly thought you might have a point other than 'But... But Thaksin/Yingluck...' Clearly not. Why didn't you just cut to the chase in the first place, then?

I have made a post in a different thread this a.m. pointing out that criticism is only fair when it contains comparison and relativity. For example getting your toe caught in a mousetrap is bad, but nothing compared to stepping in a bear trap.

You think it is quite acceptable to say that the current government is inexperienced in infrastructure projects, but only want to compare that to those with other trades/skills. Why is comparing it to the previous government unacceptable? Because it doesn't fit your agenda?

[Fat Haggis]

Why does he need public support for anything! Afraid of an uprising when taxes are raised?

Fat chance especially when the Revenue collection is down 4% as it is, according to the other paper.