Anutin promises completion of stalled bridge for Koh Phayam students

Traisulee Traisoranakul, secretary to the interior minister, said Anutin became aware of the difficulties faced by Moken children on the island through social media. A bridge construction project initiated in 2014 had been left unfinished, forcing students to wade through waist-deep water to reach their schools.

On Saturday, the Facebook page “Monsoon Garbage” posted photographs of young students wading through waist-deep water across the river next to an unfinished bridge.

The page addressed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, asking him to approve the construction of the bridge as a Children’s Day gift to the Moken kids.

Traisulee said Anutin had just recently taken up the Interior portfolio and was unaware of the plight of the young Moken children until the social media revelation. Subsequently, he instructed the Ranong provincial administration to gather information to present to the Cabinet during the mobile meeting scheduled for January 22-23 in the southern coastal province.

Anutin received a report from the Ranong governor indicating that the bridge project, initially assigned to Muang district was later handed over to the Ranong Public Works and Planning Office.

Despite hiring a private firm to undertake the construction, the project was halted due to charges of encroachment on reserved mangrove forests by marine park officials.

Traisulee added that the Ranong provincial administration was coordinating with the public works office and the Ranong natural resources office to secure necessary permissions for the construction to resume.

Meanwhile, the Ban Koh Phayam School informed Anutin that it was seeking help from the Koh Phayam Municipality and the Ranong Marine Office to build a temporary floating buoy bridge for students to cross the river.

Currently, when the tide is high students ride a slinged raft to cross the river and resort to wading across when the tide is low, the school added.-