Tawee Warns Govt: Land Bridge Risks Monopolizing Capital, Repeats High-Speed Rail Failures

Khaosod•Politics•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Thai Parliament Discusses Land Bridge Project Amidst Concerns over Monopolization and Past Project Failures.

•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong urged the government to proceed cautiously with the Land Bridge project, adopting a 'think slow, act fast' approach.
•Concerns were raised that the project could favor a specific group of monopolistic capital, similar to issues seen with the high-speed rail project.
•The parliamentary session on May 29, 2026, continued discussions on the Land Bridge proposal to establish a special committee for its study.
•Tawee highlighted that the southern border provinces would not benefit from the current project proposal due to a lack of clear strategic planning.

Overview

•On May 29, 2026, the House of Representatives convened to consider motions for establishing a special committee to study the Southern Economic Corridor Land Bridge project.
•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong advised the government to 'think slow, act fast' concerning the Land Bridge project to prevent monopolization of capital.
•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong warned that rushing the Land Bridge project could lead to existing monopolistic capital groups benefiting, as these groups are still influential within the government.
•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong expressed concern that the committee appointed to study the Land Bridge project is comprised of civil servants, not representatives of the public whose opinions should be heard.
•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong referenced the Thai-China high-speed rail project (170 billion THB) as a past failure where overlapping designs and construction on World Heritage sites led to delays.
•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong stated that the three southern border provinces would receive no benefit from the Land Bridge project due to the absence of clear strategic planning for them.
•The House of Representatives was set to vote on motions to establish a special committee to study the Land Bridge project after the debate.
•Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong suggested viewing the Land Bridge project as a logistics industry, integrating with port facilities and industrial estates, rather than just a shipping transit point.

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Key Quotes

Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong

"The government should operate under the concept 'Think Slow, Act Fast.' Do not rush the project, otherwise the capital will go to a group that has previously held monopoly concessions from government construction projects, and this group is still within the government."

รัฐบาลควรดำเนินการภายใต้แนวคิด “คิดช้า ทำเร็ว” ไม่ควรเร่งรัดผลักดันโครงการ เพื่อให้เกิดการลงทุน ไม่อย่างนั้นคนที่จะได้ทุน จะเป็นกลุ่มทุนกลุ่มหนึ่ง ที่เคยได้สัมปทานผูกขาด จากโครงการก่อสร้างของรัฐบาลที่ผ่านา ซึ่งคนกลุ่มนี้ก็ยังอยู่ในรัฐบาลอยู่

Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong

"What I am concerned about is that the committee appointed by the Prime Minister to study this project is full of civil servants and influential individuals, all holding official positions. This is a public project using a lot of money, so the committee must listen to public opinion."

ทั้งนี้ มีสิ่งหนึ่งที่ตนเป็นห่วงคือ คณะกรรมการที่นายกฯ แต่งตั้งให้ศึกษาโครงการนี้ เต็มไปด้วยข้าราชการ และบุคคลที่สามารถสั่งการได้ โดยมีตำแหน่งราชการทั้งหมด ทั้งที่โครงการนี้เป็นโครงการมหาชน ใช้เงินจำนวนมาก ดังนั้น คณะกรรมการควรจะต้องฟังความเห็นจากประชาชน

Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong

"I tried to consider if people in the three southern border provinces would benefit from this project, but found there were no benefits at all because we have not set clear strategic goals."

ตนพยายามที่จะคิดว่า คนในสามจังหวัดชายแดนใต้ จะได้รับประโยชน์จากโครงการนี้บ้างหรือไม่ แต่พบว่าไม่สักนิดเลย เพราะเราไม่ได้มีการตั้งเป้าวางยุทธศาสตร์อย่างชัดเจน

Key Entities

Person

Tawee(ทวี)ℹ️

Member of Parliament for the list-based account and leader of the Prachachat Party who voiced concerns about the Land Bridge project.

Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong(พ.ต.อ.ทวี สอดส่อง)ℹ️

Member of Parliament for the list-based account and leader of the Prachachat Party who voiced concerns about the Land Bridge project.

Place

Parliament(รัฐสภา)ℹ️

The location where the House of Representatives met to discuss the Land Bridge project.

Three Southern Border Provinces(สามจังหวัดชายแดนใต้)ℹ️

The region that Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong argued would not benefit from the proposed Land Bridge project due to a lack of strategic planning.

Organization

House of Representatives(สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)ℹ️

The legislative body that convened to discuss and potentially vote on establishing a committee to study the Land Bridge project.

Prachachat Party(ประชาชาติ)ℹ️

The political party led by Pol. Col. Tawee Soddong, whose leader spoke critically of the Land Bridge project.

Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP)(สำนักงานนโยบายและแผนการขนส่งและจราจร (สนข.))ℹ️

The agency whose research findings on the Land Bridge project were supported by the Ministry of Transport, but questioned by academics.

UNESCO(องค์การยูเนสโก)ℹ️

The organization that reportedly sent a letter expressing concerns about construction overlapping with a World Heritage site during the Thai-China High-Speed Rail project.