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Sulak Faces Bulldozers to Stop Yadana Pipeline March 4, 1998, Kanchanaburi Tension surrounding the struggle by Sulak Sivaraksa, a well known social
critic, who has been camping out in a forest of Western Thailand since Feb.
28 to stop the Yadana gas pipeline construction, reached new heights
yesterday with workers threatening to drive their bulldozers over him and
other campaigners. The incident took place at Kilopipe 28 (KP28) of the pipeline route in
Huay Kha Yeng Forest, which has been a focal point of confrontation between
the conservationists and the workers of the project's owner, the Petroleum
Authority of Thailand (PTT), since mid-December. There are four bulldozers
with drivers there awaiting to clear the forest and further the burial of
the pipeline. But due to the sit-in protest by the campaigners who have
laid down their bodies in front of the bulldozers, the workers have not yet
been able to encroach further. Nevertheless, they are trying to pressure the campaigners by bringing in
security officers and sending their workers to cut down bamboo chunks with
knives. The forested area which PTT's workers have desperately tried to
encroach upon is home to herds of elephants which total 40-50 animals in
all. During the sit-in protest, a group of the campaigners which went to
survey the area found 20 elephants not far from KP28. Since last month, the wild elephants have been frightened by the
construction of the pipeline which involves the massive use of explosives,
and they have been forced to gather around the area which still remains
intact because of the conservationists' efforts. It is believed that the workers will try to encroach further to reach the
campaigners' camping site at Kilopipe 27 which lies at the foot of the Khao
Takoa mountain range. Arrest warrants might be issued soon to take Sulak
away. The Thai Prime Minister, Mr. Chuan Leekpai, ordered the project to go
ahead last Saturday-- provided that the environment and the wildlife along
the pipeline route are better taken care of and efforts are taken to allow
regeneration of the habitat as suggested by the national review committee
led by former prime minister, Mr. Anand Panyarachun. The committee was set
up by the Prime Minister to hear facts from both the supporters and the
opponents of the project between 14-25 February. The committee found numerous flaws with the project, including a poor
environmental impact assessment (EIA) report which was done hastily,
without a proper framework, and without local input. As a result of the
impact study's lack of comprehensiveness, the livelihood of many rare
animals in the forest, including the wild elephants and endemic bat and
crab species, have been hugely affected by the pipeline's construction. Beginning last Saturday, the workers resumed their work. Despite the
Prime Minister's statements and the findings of the committee, PTT's
workers continue to log without taking measures to lessen the impact on the
environment. Indeed, the problem of the elephants' shrinking food sources
and habitat has yet to be addressed. "This is against what the Prime Minister had ordered," Sulak said. "He
promised the public that the continuation of the project will be possible
on the condition that further construction will not affect the forest as it
had previously done, and that threatened wildlife will be recuperated.
However, they [PTT's workers] did none of these. Instead they are cutting
more big trees--even those near to my camp. And elephants are dying
without any care." For more information: |
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