People protesting against the industrial estate project, in Chana district of Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla, have agreed to relocate, from in front of Government House to an open space next to a commercial college, after the government agreed temporarily to shelve the contentious project.
The relocation came after a solution was worked out betweenDeputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao, Prasarn Wangrattanapranee, vice minister of the PM’s Office, and protest representatives.
The protesters claim that industrial waste and the inevitable emissions from industrial facilities in the estate, covering 2,560 hectares, will ruin the livelihoods of the residents, most of whom make their livings from coastal fishing.
Under the solution, the Public Works and Town Planning Department must suspend all proceedings to amend the town planning of Songkhla province and shelve all proposalsregarding the future industrial model project for Chana district until the completion of a strategic environment impact assessment, to be undertaken by a multi-party committee with the participation of representatives of the people and academia.
