[sustran] Impending Ban Krua confrontation

[Craig Townsend]

>From The Bangkok Post Internet Edition, 14 July 2000
(http://bangkokpost.com/today/140800_News01.html)

Five communities vow to block survey teams
Confrontation looms as deadline nears

Supoj Wancharoen

Residents of Ratchathewi and Pathum Wan districts, including the Ban Krua 
Muslim community, confirmed their readiness yesterday for a looming 
confrontation with the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority (ETA).

The authority has overriden all objections and announced it will begin 
entering their communities from next week to begin surveying for a 
controversial new expressway access ramp.

About 300 representatives of five communities met at a mosque in historic 
Ban Krua community at 2pm yesterday and agreed to bar access to ETA 
surveyors.

They came from Ban Krua, Wat Phrayayoung, Saphan Huachang, Petchaburi 20 and 
Wat Pathumwanaram communities. The planned 2-km road would run through their 
neighbourhoods along the Saen Saep canal from Uruphong to Ratchadamri road.

Ban Krua leader Sarote Phuaksamlee confirmed his people were resolute in 
opposing the ETA, and asked if the other communities were also determined to 
keep on fighting. Their affirmations were unanimous.

Also present at the gathering were representatives from the Assembly of the 
Poor, southerners who oppose the Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline, and inshore 
fishermen from the South.

They also promised to support Ban Krua and its neighbours in opposing the 
expressway.

They all had common cause in opposing the government, they said.

Mr Sarote said the government must honour the conclusions of two past public 
hearings which concluded the short expressway link would be of no benefit to 
Bangkok traffic.

"The government has never recognised the poor's problems. It pleases only 
the rich," he said.

The first public hearing was chaired by economist Narongchai Akaraseranee, 
from April to June 1993, and the other by economist Ammar Siamwalla, from 
April to September 1994.

Both hearing came out against the ETA's planned 4.5 billion baht "collection 
and distribution road".

Poramet Phuto, a Ban Krua leader, said his people would not leave their 
homes.

"The ETA recently applied for a budget of 3.5 billion baht to expropriate 
the land, despite the fact its staff have not been able to enter it yet," he 
said.

"The cabinet finally rejected the request and this means that Ban Krua 
helped the government save money."

He rejected the expressway authority's offer to build flats for residents 
who agree to move out.

The agency would not have enough money for the flats, and the designated 
sites in Min Buri and Nong Chok districts were almost fully occupied.

Another Ban Krua speaker said the young men had announced their readiness to 
exercise their strength to block ETA staff from entering their community.

Kingkaew Attakorn, from the Kasemsan Palace community that is included in 
the expropriation list, said her family would fight to the end to protect 
the property.

"Our land is expensive, about a million baht per rai. If we needed money we 
would have sold it, but we are determined to keep it to show respect to our 
ancestors.

"We denied entrance to ETA staff who said our land would be expropriated. 
Their message is an insult to us," she said.

The authority announced on July 24 it would definitely move in to make 
surveys that would lead to expropriation, and gave people 30 days to 
prepare.

The Ban Krua community has been opposing the road since 1988. It is part of 
the second-stage expressway system awarded to Bangkok Expressway Co.


*******************************************************
Craig Townsend, PhD Candidate & Researcher

Apt. 35, Krisda Mansion
11/26 Sukhumvit Soi 1, Wattana, Bangkok 10110  Thailand
tel: (66 2) 251-6472     fax: (66 2) 255-5933

Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy (ISTP)
Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch
Perth, Western Australia 6150
tel: (61 8) 9360-6293     fax: (61 8) 9360-6421

email: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au

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