Sulak threatens to stage protest

Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa yesterday vowed to stage a solo protest against the Thai-Burmese gas pipeline project if Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai gives it the go-ahead.

Prime Minister's Office Minister Supatra Masdit said Mr Chuan would allow the project to go ahead while trying to sort out relevant problems at the same time.

Failure of a public information panel chaired by ex-premier Anand Panyarachun to make recommendations about a link between the project and Burma's suppression of ethnic minorities has prompted Mr Sulak to renew his opposition to the Petroleum Authority of Thailand project.

"If Mr Chuan insists on giving the PTT the green light to continue laying the pipeline, I will protest against the project in the forest alone," declared Mr Sulak.

Mr Chuan had appointed the Anand panel to sort out differences between the PTT and non-government organisations, human rights and grassroots groups opposing the project.

The panel concluded on Wednesday the PTT was "not transparent" in its implementation of the project and recommended that the government act quickly to alleviate social and environmental effects of the project.

But it declined to deal with human rights abuse allegations and arguments that the project is unnecessary at the time of an economic crunch, saying the issues were beyond its mandate.

"The panellists are like the PTT. They are lying," Mr Sulak said. "They did not talk about the killing of Mons in Burma to pave the way for the pipeline.

"About the elephants, they say nothing. The only recommendation on the elephant issue is buying bananas to feed them if their food source is damaged," he said.

Other opponents seem satisfied with the panel's conclusions and have pledged to end their sit-in protest blocking the pipeline route in the forest as soon as Mr Chuan responded to the panel's conclusions.

But Mr Sulak accused Mr Anand of having a pre-determined position from the beginning that the project must go ahead.

He noted the panel's report first condemned the PTT but then concluded it should continue what Mr Sulak called "the bloodstained project".

"If you have studied in England you would know that if the judge strongly rebukes the defendant, it means he would let the defendant go. It is the same way Mr Anand wrote the report," he said.

"During the hearing, you would see that if someone accused the PTT of lying, the chairman would ask that person to withdraw his words," he said.

According to Mr Sulak, the opponents had proposed the panel make conclusions for four options - what the consequences would be if the project is revoked, rerouted, delayed or continued. But the panel had considered only the fourth option.

"The panellists are just bureaucrats in an ivory tower. Yes, they are nice people but unfortunately they have no self-respect. They have been moulded by the bureaucratic system, the ultimate goal of which is to win and rule over ordinary people."

Mrs Supatra said a sub-committee was likely to be set up to make an environment impact assessment when the prime minister completed his reading of the panel report.

The sub-committee would come under the National Environment Board chaired by the prime minister himself, she said.

It would have more members from the private sector than the government sector, she added.