Govt 'receptive' to different opinions on extending more oil concessions

Sansern said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had ordered the pro-concession Energy Ministry to study the issues raised by NRC members who were consumer protection experts, activists and environmentalists after the NRC last week voted to scrap the next round of concession bidding.

He also said that the government, which decided to go ahead with the bidding process despite the NRC’s opposition to it, had the right to halt or cancel deals with foreign |exploration companies and |producers of fossil fuel deposits if they failed to honour the 70:30 profit-sharing arrangement in the |state’s favour under the Thailand Three Plus agreement.

He said Prayut wanted NRC members who opposed the agreement to know that the government had not disregarded their reasons for wanting the bidding process scrapped, which they made through the NRC and energy reform mechanism at last week’s vetting session over the 21st extension.

Asked whether the Energy Ministry had told the full truth about the extension and all other energy-related details, Sansern said the ministry “was trying” to divulge all the facts, which were open to public scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the Rural Doctors Foundation issued an open letter |calling on Prayut to reconsider the government’s decision over the |concession taken without thoroughly studying the issues raised by the NRC.

The Foundation head, Dr Kriangsak Watcharanukoolkiat, said he understood the heavy pressure on Prayut and the possible influence of the Energy Ministry and energy technocrats, rather than the voice of the people who viewed the issue differently.

In the letter, the Foundation said the 21st extension would mean that 39 years – the length of the concession – would be lost completely and unconditionally.

It said a profit-share condition, instead of the Thailand Three Plus agreement, would be more beneficial to the country as the rightful owner of the petroleum deposits.