THE government was urged to hold a three-tier referendum on the Land Bridge project as people in the South have not been fully informed about the advantages and disadvantages of this megascheme despite a NIDA opinion poll showing majority of the respondents in this region support it while NGOs and various organisations openly oppose it, Naewna newspaper quoted former Democrat MP Thepthai Senapong as saying today (May 5).
Following the result of the NIDA survey showing over 67% of the southerners support the 1-trillion-baht megaproject, the government is pushing it forward despite resistance from some sectors with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul having appointed Deputy Prime Minister/Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas to chair a committee to study it.
The committee has been tasked with considering all dimensions: geopolitics, cost-effectiveness, investment return, logistics systems, and other project-related issues, and given a 90-day deadline.
While the NIDA poll results showed that the majority of the southerners agree with implementing the Land Bridge scheme, when asked about their level of knowledge or understanding of the project, 54.43% said they had heard of it but only slightly understood it.
When asked about concerns, 33.21% said they had no concerns. About whether they agreed with this key project, 34.21% strongly agreed, and 33.01% somewhat agreed, totaling 67.22%.
Thepthai said there are two reasons southerners strongly supported the megaproject as seen from the NIDA poll result as follows:
– The majority of the public lacks understanding and knowledge about the Land Bridge project. They have not received comprehensive information about its advantages and disadvantages, as reflected in the poll results showing 54.43% only slightly understood it.
– With a megaproject like the Land Bridge, involving a 1-trillion-baht investment, people in southern Thailand think such a large-scale project will bring prosperity to the region. The expectation is that the South would benefit economically, so the pros and cons were not considered carefully.
However, to be fair and correctly carry out this huge project the government should open opportunities for all sectors to present information to the public so that they are fully informed about both positive and negative aspects and the advantages and disadvantages.
After southerners have received complete and comprehensive information, the government should conduct a three-tier-referendum as follows:
– People in Chumphon and Ranong provinces where key parts of the megaproject will be located;
– People in the southern region who have a general stake in the project;
– A nationwide survey if possible.
If this triple-tiered referendum is conducted then it would be considered that the decision on the future of the country was made by the entire Thai population, he added.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – Representative images of the Land Bridge project. Credit – Naewna
Insert – Thepthai Senapong. Photo – Naewna
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