thailandedition
Satit Criticizes Land Bridge, Calls for Public Input Committee

Satit Criticizes Land Bridge, Calls for Public Input Committee

Matichon•Politics•2d ago

Reader Briefing

MP Satit Wongnongtoei criticizes the proposed Land Bridge project, arguing it benefits limited areas, risks environmental and community damage akin to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), and calls for a special parliamentary committee to ensure public participation.

  • •MP Satit Wongnongtoei raised concerns in parliament about the Land Bridge project.
  • •He argued the project will only benefit specific groups and regions, potentially dividing the southern provinces.
  • •Satit drew parallels to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), warning of similar environmental and community impacts.
  • •He called for a special parliamentary committee to allow public input and ensure fair development for all 14 southern provinces.

Overview

  • •On May 28, the House of Representatives convened to consider a motion proposing the establishment of a special committee.
  • •The motion concerns the study and deliberation of the Southern Economic Corridor development project, specifically the Land Bridge initiative connecting the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
  • •MP Satit Wongnongtoei proposed that the Land Bridge development benefits only certain areas and groups, threatening to segment the southern region.
  • •Only four provinces (Ranong, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat) are included in the Land Bridge project, leaving 14 southern provinces and over 14 million residents negatively impacted without direct benefit.
  • •Satit Wongnongtoei suggested an alternative development plan called 'Southern Connect' to benefit all 14 southern provinces with comparable investment.
  • •Satit Wongnongtoei stated that the Land Bridge concept is an old idea from 1985, previously linked to the development of Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, which led to the EEC.
  • •Southern residents fear the Land Bridge project will cause similar environmental and community damage as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
  • •Satit Wongnongtoei emphasized the need for a special committee to include public participation, stating that the government's internal committees exclude local communities.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on Matichon (Thai Version)View in Google Translate

Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Satit Wongnongtoei
"Land Bridge development is geographically specific, benefiting only certain groups, and will tear the South apart into separate sections."
การพัฒนาแลนด์บริดจ์เป็นการกระทำเฉพาะพื้นที่ ได้ประโยชน์เฉพาะบางกลุ่มบางพวกเท่านั้น และเป็นการพัฒนาที่ฉีกทิ้งภาคใต้ให้แยกออกเป็นส่วน ๆ
Satit Wongnongtoei
"If not studied thoroughly and public input is insufficient, this project, conceived by a few elites, will crush the lives of southern people."
หากไม่มีการศึกษาที่ละเอียดรอบคอบรอบด้าน ฟังเสียงประชาชนไม่เพียงพอ เป็นโครงการที่คิดจากคนข้างบนเพียงไม่กี่คน ละเลยเสียงของชาวบ้านระดับฐานรากที่สุดแล้วโครงการอย่างนี้จะบดขยี้วิถีชีวิตของคนภาคใต้
Satit Wongnongtoei
"Therefore, a special committee is necessary. If the government says it's not, I consider it silencing the public."
ดังนั้นจึงจำเป็นต้องตั้งคณะกรรมาธิการวิสามัญ แม้ท่าทีฝ่ายรัฐบาลบอกว่าไม่จำเป็น ผมถือว่านี่คือการปิดหู ปิดตา ประชาชน

Key Entities

Person

Satit Wongnongtoei(สาทิตย์ วงศ์หนองเตย)
Member of Parliament (MP) for the Democrat Party, who is critical of the Land Bridge project and advocates for broader public participation.
Mallika Chirapunwanich(มัลลิกา จิรพันธุ์วาณิช)
First Vice President of the House of Representatives, who presided over the parliamentary session.

Organization

Democrat Party(พรรคประชาธิปัตย์)ℹ️
Political party to which MP Satit Wongnongtoei belongs.
Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP)(สนข.)
An organization whose studies on the Land Bridge project are referenced.
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)(สภาพัฒนฯ)ℹ️
An organization that conducted studies on the Land Bridge project in collaboration with Chulalongkorn University.
Chulalongkorn University(จุฬาลงกรณ์)ℹ️
A university that collaborated with the NESDC on studies related to the Land Bridge project.

Place

Ranong(ระนอง)ℹ️
One of the four southern provinces included in the proposed Land Bridge project.
Chumphon(ชุมพร)ℹ️
One of the four southern provinces included in the proposed Land Bridge project.
Surat Thani(สุราษฎร์ธานี)ℹ️
One of the four southern provinces included in the proposed Land Bridge project.
Nakhon Si Thammarat(นครศรีธรรมราช)ℹ️
One of the four southern provinces included in the proposed Land Bridge project.
Strait of Malacca(ช่องแคบมะละกา)ℹ️
A key maritime route that the Land Bridge project aims to bypass.
Parliament(รัฐสภา)ℹ️
The legislative body where the debate on the Land Bridge project and the proposal for a special committee took place.