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Panel to give suggestions to cabine



Panel to give suggestions to cabinet next week

Opponents promise to stop their forest sit-in whatever final cabinet
decision is Kanittha Inchukul

The panel set up to resolve conflicts between two rivals of the
Thai-Burmese gas pipeline project plas to propose its ecommendation on the
future of the project to the cabinet next ednesday.

After five days of a hearing which ended yesterday, the ommittee members
will examine related documents for several ays in order to find out
alternatives and propose them to the abinet, said the committee chairman
Anand Panyarachun. Then
the recommendation will be made public.

The panel's attendants were told by Mr Anand many times that he committee
has not been empowered to make a final decision n the project. Its job is
to find out the facts and make ecommendations to the government.

The rivals yesterday presented information and opinions on the egal aspects
of the contract, insurance and compensation, nergy demand and the way of
energy development and their onclusions.

Petroleum Authority of Thailand president Piti Yimprasert oncluded that the
project is important for the country's energy evelopment while the impact
on the forest and wildlife from onstruction is temporary.

"PTT is the largest local company in the country so the country's conomy as
well as its credit will be affected in case of a uspension or delay," Mr
Piti said.

Conservation group representative Bhibhop Thongchai said the ost satisfying
alternative is for the project to be scrapped so the ense forest will not
be destroyed and the country will not be ommitted to a large foreign debt
of $12,650 million.

To reroute the pipeline or delay the project in order to conduct a ew
environmental impact assessment will satisfy them less, but hey will
condemn the government if it decides to continue the roject without any
change.

"The sit-in protest to block construction and workers entering he forest
will be called off whatever decision the cabinet makes ut the protest will
be carried on by other non-violent means," r Bhibhop told the panel.

Mr Anand said it is difficult to find the facts from the different iews but
the committee members are attempting to find olutions which satisfy both
project owner and opponents.

"I want to clarify that this conflict is not the fault of the PTT, the
abinet or the government. But it is the social failure of the
ecision-making process in this country. There will be no winner r loser in
this case," Mr Anand said.

Not only a solution to the pipeline project will be recommended o the
government; the committee will also propose the overnment create a social
standard in other development rojects in order to prevent conflicts.