Network opposing industrial estate vows indefinite protest outside Government House

An NGO dedicated to preserving Songkhla’s environment, the network has been urging the government to halt the plan to establish Jana Industrial Estate until a thorough strategic environmental assessment is carried out. It is also accusing the government of rushing the decision to approve the project to benefit a private company that had donated several millions of baht to Palang Pracharath Party, the key member of the ruling coalition.

Managed by TPI Polene and IRPC, Jana Industrial Estate will cover 16,700 rai (2,672 hectares) in three subdistricts of Jana district -- Sakom, Taling Chan and Na Thap. It will be the largest industrial estate project in the South and therefore have significant impacts on surrounding communities, especially in environmental and marine resource aspects.

In a statement issued on Friday, the network said they would continue to camp out near Government House until they received a satisfying answer from the government.