Most want Mae Wong Dam put on hold: poll
A majority of Thais (81.9 per cent) want the Mae Wong Dam project to be suspended and reviewed, believing that many politicians are benefiting from the dam's construction, an Abac Poll revealed yesterday.
The poll – conducted among 2,140 people nationwide from September 25-October 2 – found that 94.7 per cent knew about the government’s push for the dam construction, while the remaining 5.3 per cent said otherwise. Over half (59.5 per cent) didn’t believe the dam would solve flood problems.
When asked about suspicions over the project, 74.3 per cent said they felt certain a group of people would benefit from the construction, while 25.7 per cent disagreed.
The parties believed likely to benefit most from the dam construction were; politicians, advisers, politics-oriented academics and state officials (59.4 per cent); investors (24.8 per cent); and the general public (15.8 per cent). Most people (76.3 per cent) believed the dam would lead to more wildlife trade. They urged that time be given for the relocation of wildlife to safe places and to preserve the area’s bio-diversity (78 per cent), and for a role to be given to international organisations in checking the dam’s impacts (69.8 per cent).
