Government pulls SEC bill, sets up joint committee with civic group

The government has decided to withdraw the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) bill from Cabinet consideration and instead form a joint committee with SEC Watch, a network of civic groups studying the proposed mega-project.

The decision was reached at a meeting on Tuesday between representatives of SEC Watch, led by Prasitthichai Noonual, and government officials, led by Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.

Speaking to the media after the two-hour meeting at the government’s Complaints Centre, Phiphat said a memorandum of understanding will be signed with SEC Watch to formalise the agreement.

As for the land bridge project, which is linked to the SEC development, the transport minister said it is now under a 90-day review by a panel led by Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas.

He said the government is not rushing to implement the project but is open to feedback from all stakeholders, adding that it will fully cooperate with SEC Watch in the study of the land bridge proposal.

An SEC Watch representative welcomed the government’s decision to withdraw the SEC bill from Cabinet consideration, calling it a significant step towards greater public participation in a project with far-reaching impacts on local communities and the environment.

The SEC project is a regional development and special economic zone in southern Thailand designed to boost infrastructure, tourism and industrial investment across the four provinces of Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat. At the heart of the SEC is the land bridge project, which would link major ports on either side of the Kra Isthmus, providing an alternative shipping route between the Pacific and Indian oceans.