THE NATION,FEB: 11,1998.Ecologists

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

      Ecologists welcome
      Yadana panel

      CONSERVATIONISTS Tuesday hailed the
      setting up of a review committee, to be
      headed by Anand Panyarachun, on the
      controversial Yadana gas pipeline but
      insisted that their protest at the construction
      site will continue. 

      In their statement released Tuesday, 88
      organisations staunchly opposed to the
      project which will transport gas from Burma
      to Thailand, agreed that the move to set up
      the committee to listen to both the
      Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) and
      the conservationists would be the best way
      to solve the knotty problem. 

      Beginning Wednesday, the
      conservationists and PTT would take turns
      in presenting their side of the story to the
      committee which was expected to submit
      its conclusion to the Prime Minister's Office
      Minister Supatra Masdit and the prime
      minister for consideration by Feb 20. 

      Conservation groups' representative Pipob
      Thongchai said, ''We hope that all the
      issues which we have discussed would be
      revealed to the public [by the committee].'' 

      However, the protesters said that they
      would continue picketing in the forest area
      from where the pipeline would pass until
      after the committee finishes its work. The
      PTT has said that it would suspend
      construction for 10 days. 

      Meanwhile, Soraida Salwala of the Friend
      of Elephant Foundation has said that there
      should be a committee to monitor the
      forests in the west to prevent further
      encroachment of the forest as well as to
      protect wildlife. 

      She also said that conservation groups
      would ask the PTT to avoid constructing a
      road along the pipeline route. 

      Opponents of the 260-kilometre long
      pipeline have long called for suspension of
      construction but the PTT has disagreed
      saying that Thailand would have to pay a
      daily fine of Bt40 million if the pipeline,
      being developed by Total of France and
      Unocal of the United States, is not ready by
      July 1998. 

      BY CHULARAT SAENGPASSA 

      The Nation