BKK POST,February 19, 1998. GAS PIP

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February 19, 1998. GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

              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
              recommendation on the future of the project to the cabinet next
              Wednesday.

              After five days of a hearing which ended yesterday, the
              committee members will examine related documents for several
              days in order to find out alternatives and propose them to the
              cabinet, 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
              the committee has not been empowered to make a final decision
              on the project. Its job is to find out the facts and make
              recommendations to the government.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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