Groups plan prolonged protests over new environment bill
Groups opposed to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process prescribed in the new Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Bill have decided to launch mass protests beginning November 1.
The group of NGOs and local people from four regions of Thailand gathered at the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry on Friday to express their concerns over the EIA process in the new environmental bill. However, as they did not get a satisfactory response from the ministry they vowed to launch the protests in the capital from November 1.
Prasitchai Nu-nuan, the representative of the People’s Network for Sustainable Development, said that despite the efforts of citizens nationwide to make the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Bill an effective tool for environmental protection, the government had turned a deaf ear to the people’s voices and maintained the flaws in the previous act.
He said the people will not tolerate the government’s disregard for them anymore and vowed to stage protests from November 1 onwards until the problematic bill were improved and aligned with Article 58 of the Constitution, so as to truly protect the environment and people’s livelihoods,” Prasitchai said.
He also urged the public to show their power in order to protect the environment from the government’s multiple mega-projects.