Sulak Sivaraksa, along with 50 students and at least one English man, was arrested at around 12:30PM Friday in Huay Kha Yeng forest while peacefully protesting the construction of the Thai-Burmese Yadana gas pipeline project. Mr. Sulak and the others were taken to the Thom Pa Phum police station.

As of 3PM, the protesters still had not been told what charge they were being held on despite repeated demands to know why they were arrested. Similarly, their demands to see the warrant for their arrests were denied by the police.

Prior to the arrests, a checkpoint was also erected at Wat Huay Pak Khok--some nine kilometers from the protesters' camp--and people were prevented from visiting Mr. Sulak and the others.

The Thai Prime Minister, Mr. Chuan Leekpai, ordered the project to continue last weekend, but the Bangkok Post reported on March 1 that when "asked about social critic Sulak Sivaraksa's vow to state a lone protest if he gives the green light for the project to continue, Mr Chuan said Mr Sulak has the right under the constitution to protect natural resources."

"The pipeline must continue. Whoever wants to go and stay in the forest is free to do so," Mr Chuan said.>

The PM's Office Minister Supatra Masdit made a similar statement just yesterday, saying, "if they want to protest, let them continue."

But the arrests and the creation of the checkpoint contradict these statements and go against the principles laid out in Thailand's new constitution that the people have a right to protest peacefully.

The fact that the protestors were arrested without being able to see a warrant and have yet to be told why they were being held also goes counter to the rights of the people.

Mr. Chuan said the project could go ahead 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 pipeline's construction, the livelihood of many rare animals in the forest, including the wild elephants and endemic bat and crab species, have been adversely affected.