January 15, 1998 BKK POST: Commenta

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

January 15, 1998 
Commentary
 by Wasant Techawongtham




              We need to settle 
              this thing finally



              Most observers expected little to come of the three days of 
              talks which ended Monday between the Petroleum Authority of 
              Thailand and the opponents of its gas pipeline, and they were not 
              disappointed.

              Providing breathing room in the long-running dispute was Prime 
              Minister Chuan Leekpai, who offered Government House as the 
              venue for legal experts from both sides to thrash out their 
              different interpretations of the contracts the PTT has signed with 
              its contractor and the gas exploration consortium in Burma.

              The main point of contention has been whether a delay in the 
              pipeline construction might incur a penalty. The PTT has claimed 
              consistently it is liable to a hefty fine if it fails to complete the 
              pipeline by July. But this is seen as an attempt to beat back 
              opposition. Conservation and grassroots groups who have 
              camped out at the entrance to a lush forest to prevent the laying 
              of the pipeline for the past three weeks dispute the claim.

              The talks were destined for failure right from the start. They were 
              called hurriedly by the man who presided over the government 
              four years ago which allowed the PTT to sign the contracts in the 
              first place without consulting the public or getting permission to 
              use protected forest land. The deep distrust each side has of the 
              other was profound and showed no sign of improving when the 
              talks began. And the talks were set up in such a way that no 
              definitive conclusion could be expected.

              While negotiators on the opposition side would not say so aloud, 
              they went into the talks not trusting Mr Chuan to be neutral nor 
              expecting him to lean their way. Having no directive from up high 
              to give way, the PTT negotiators had no incentive to try to reach 
              a compromise.

              The construction will now accelerate to compensate for the time 
              lost while the talks proceeded. Tensions have reached a peak in 
              the confrontation and violence cannot be discounted. No one 
              wants to see violence break out but the presence of 200 armed 
              troops to "safeguard the pipeline route and keep the peace" 
              cannot help but give people the jitters. It was a bad decision on 
              Mr Chuan's part to involve the military in a purely civilian affair.

              Although the PTT tried to deflect the blame from Mr Chuan by 
              arguing that the troops were there as part of an agreement it 
              reached with the Banharn Silpa-archa government, this does not 
              help the situation. The troops' presence only serves to increase 
              tensions. Any wrong move will inevitably lead to unpredictable 
              results.

              The dispute reached an impasse after an academic from Khon 
              Khen University failed in an earlier attempt to mediate. If 
              violence is to be diverted and damage is to be kept to a 
              minimum, an alternative must be found at once.

              Time is of the essence. We cannot afford a more deliberate, 
              full-fledged conflict resolution process that will take months. 
              More mediation should be tried. This time prominent figures 
              forming a tribunal should be given the task of continuing the talks 
              until an agreement is reached. The situation warrants the 
              involvement of the most respected people acceptable to all sides. 
              Some names that immediately spring to mind are economist 
              Ammar Siamwalla, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, 
              political scientist Chai-Anan Samudavanija and Dr Prawase 
              Wasi.

              If success is to have a chance, both sides of the dispute and Mr 
              Chuan must commit themselves sincerely to the process and 
              abide by the eventual resolution. And that resolution must not 
              only protect the nation's economic interests but its environment 
              as well.

              * Wasant Techawongtham is Deputy News Editor for 
              Environment and Urban Affairs, Bangkok Post.