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BKK POST: January 15, 1998: GAS PI
- Subject: BKK POST: January 15, 1998: GAS PI
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 20:22:00
January 15, 1998 GAS PIPELINE
Experts favour
suspension without
incurring penalty
Chakrit Ridmontri
The majority of legal experts involved in examining the
Thai-Burmese gas pipeline contracts have concluded in favour of
the interpretation that the pipeline construction might be
suspended without incurring a penalty.
The panel of 10 experts spent three days at Government House
at Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai's initiative to thrash out
opposing opinions on the contracts.
Experts on the side of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, the
project developer, insisted that the PTT would be liable to a
hefty fine if construction was suspended resulting in delay to the
project completion. Those on the opponents' side disagreed.
All five experts appointed by the opposing conservation groups
rendered an opinion in favour of the opponents' interpretation.
Three experts, one appointed by PTT and the other two by the
government, favoured the PTT's interpretation. Another
PTT-appointed expert delivered an inconclusive opinion while
the remaining government expert, the secretary-general of the
Council of State who chaired the talks, abstained.
Phibhob Dhongchai, coordinator of conservation groups,
revealed the results yesterday at a press conference. He called
on Mr Chuan who received a report of the talks on Monday to
make a decision on the fate of the project based on the opinion
of the majority.
"I hope that Mr Chuan will be democratic-minded and respect
the conclusion of the committee he appointed to give him legal
advice," said Mr Phibhob who was one of the experts in the
talks.
The committee was assigned to study the contracts which PTT
signed with the gas drilling consortium and a construction
company to consider the possibility of suspending the project
and reroute the pipeline as demanded by the opponents.
"I reveal the results to send a message to the prime minister. If he
remains unresponsive, we have to consider tougher action,"
warned Mr Phibhob, saying the groups would resort only to
peaceful protests, a right recognised by the constitution.
Songkiert Tansamrit, PTT director of public relations, asked for
calm from protesters who are camping out at the entrance to a
lush forest in Kanchanaburi to prevent the laying of the pipeline.
However, he insists that the PTT would suffer a heavy fine,
originally estimated at about 40 million baht a day, if it could not
finish the project by July.