Songkhla – A network of Tepha residents and 66 other civic organizations, together totaling 3,000 people, have expressed a resolution for the construction of the Tepha Power Plant and called for the government to make a clear decision on the project in 45 days.
The Tepha People’s Network for Sustainable Development, which includes several village headman and local officials of Tepha district in Songkhla province, has joined 66 other organizations, with over 50,000 members, to voice their support for the Tepha Power Plant.
Some 3,000 members of the joint group assembled before Tepha District Chief Sanong Chantarak to urge him to press the Prime Minister to heed their call, which comprises 3 demands.
The first demand is for the government to hear the wishes of Tepha locals and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, move forward with development projects for Tepha, and care for those impacted by the power plant project.
The second is for NGOs from outside of the area to respect the rights and wishes of Tepha locals and cease their distortion of facts and inciting of conflict.
The third is for the government to make a clear decision on the future of the Tepha Power Plant project in 45 days, basing the decision off the true wishes of the people of Tepha.
Similarly, over 400 people in a Krabi People’s Network have submitted a letter to the PM expressing their support for the Krabi Coal Power Plant, handing the document to Nua Khlong District Chief Sophon Suwankaraj and pressing for the project to be expedited.
Kijja Thongthip, speaking on behalf of the network, explained that over 15,000 names were collected in support of the Krabi Power Plant and the government must make good on promises to undertake the project for the benefit of locals.
