House votes down Opposition proposal for panel to study land bridge project

The House of Representatives resolved by 266:174 votes today to reject an Opposition motion calling for the formation of a House panel to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study of the government’s one-trillion baht land bridge infrastructure project.

Opposition and government MPs engaged in an intense debate on the massive project, with opposition MPs questioning its feasibility, economic viability and transparency.

Democrat Party Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva raised some key issues about the project, among them being its economic viability, environment impact assessments, its effects on the rights of people in the south, the potential for the project to be transformed into a heavy industries hub, such as petrochemicals, and national security.

Abhisit noted that the project had not been mentioned among the government parties’ policies presented to the Election Commission before the general election.

He added that the rejection of the Opposition’s motion for a thorough study of the project has reinforced suspicions that it has been designed for the vested interests of certain groups at the expense of the southern people’s natural resources and opportunities. The project could also draw Thailand into geo-political conflicts unnecessarily, he added.

Meanwhile, People’s Party Leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said that the proposed setup of a House panel was intended to explore the real sustainable development strategy for the southern region, not just to address the issues of the land bridge project and the Southern Economic Corridor project.

He then proposed the party’s Southern Biodiversity Regeneration Corridor (SBRC) project to replace the land bridge.