reader Posted February 7, 2020 Posted February 7, 2020 Excerpted from Khaosod English Court Halts Controversial Chao Phraya Promenade Project BANGKOK — Opponents of the government’s plan to build a concrete promenade along the Chao Phraya River on Thursday welcomed the news that a court ordered the project to be halted. The Administrative Court on Wednesday ordered City Hall to cease development of a 57-kilometer boardwalk along the river, citing a lack of permits. Yossapon Boonsom, founder of Friends of the River which spearheaded the opposition, said he considered the ruling a tentative win. The court ordered City Hall to halt the project unless ordered otherwise after ruling that the officials have not secured appropriate building permissions for the construction. City Hall had earlier been given permission to build on the river from the Marine Department as they declared the promenade as a river pier, which spares them from the contentious process of submitting a blueprint and environmental impact assessment for approval. However, the court saw it otherwise, and regarded the project, which also includes bicycle lanes and sightseeing viewpoints, as a structure that requires a blueprint to be submitted prior to the development. The 14-billion baht project, presented by the junta government as a new landmark for the capital, has been beset with opposition since it was first approved in 2015. Activists also opposed the plan to extend concrete platforms 6 to 10 meters into the river, saying that the government has never consulted with residents who will be directly impacted by the structure, as well as criticizing its aesthetics. https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/bangkok/2020/02/06/court-halts-controversial-chao-phraya-promenade-project/ ======================================================= From The Thaiger Government scraps Mekong blasting project The government has officially abandoned a controversial plan to blast rapids on the Mekong river in Chiang Mai province. The Chinese-led dredging and blasting plan, initiated in 2001, met with fierce opposition from locals and environmental groups, and the Cabinet agreed to scrap it at a weekly meeting on Tuesday. The plan was to enable ships to carry goods from China’s landlocked southern Yunnan province to ports in Thailand and Laos. It was highly opposed by conservationists and communities living along the river, who feared it would harm the environment and only benefit China. A deputy government spokewoman told Reuters: The government has officially abandoned a controversial plan to blast rapids on the Mekong river in Chiang Mai province. The Chinese-led dredging and blasting plan, initiated in 2001, met with fierce opposition from locals and environmental groups, and the Cabinet agreed to scrap it at a weekly meeting on Tuesday. The plan was to enable ships to carry goods from China’s landlocked southern Yunnan province to ports in Thailand and Laos. It was highly opposed by conservationists and communities living along the river, who feared it would harm the environment and only benefit China. A deputy government spokewoman told Reuters: “The communities affected and non-profit groups were against the plan. Above all fearing it would affect the way of life, and China also had no funding for it … so we ended the project. It didn’t take off yet. We were only doing environmental and social impact assessments” The Chinese embassy in Bangkok was not available for comment. A Thai cabinet document said that China had informed involved countries last year that it would not pursue the project, but work had continued along stretches of the river in Laos and Myanmar. “China’s mistreatment of the Mekong, and its control of upstream water supplies, already shows the problem. Treating the mother of rivers like an international canal is no way to conserve and protect the environment, fishing and Thai people’s traditional lifestyle.” China’s dams on the Mekong have also become controversial, especially since China revealed it was testing equipment in the river’s upper reaches. Thai farmers say they have collapsed fish stocks. https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/environment/thai-government-scraps-mekong-blasting-project vinapu 1 Quote
