Officials, newsmen make it to safety
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Some 600 officials and members of the media, stranded at the Khao Luang National Park in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Phipun district on Wednesday due to a road blockade held by some disgruntled locals, managed to make it to safety early yesterday, an informed s
Some 30 protesters, led by local politician Peerapan Suwanopas and Tambon Khao Phra Mayor Phayung Somsab, used a backhoe to dig up the only road leading out of the park. Deputy provincial governor Suthipong Terdrattanapong later agreed to meet the protesters’ demand, including compensating them for the destroyed trees and letting them tap the remaining rubber trees. The villagers also demanded that the stranded officials and journalists leave their vehicles behind as a guarantee that their demands would be met today.
However, at about 10pm, once most of the protesters had left, the stranded officials joined forces to fix the road and drove out of the area at 1am.
