Local communities oppose govt's land bridge project - Nation Thailand

with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and high-level officials from the Transport Ministry taking advantage of their recent visit to attend the 30th APEC Summit 2023 in San Francisco, to present the project to potential investors in the European Union, Japan, China and East Asia.

Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit discussed the project’s development plan, which is divided into four phases from 2025 to 2040. It involves selecting private entities through international bidding for a single contract, with a 50-year management agreement, encompassing port development on both sides, expressways, and railways.

Studies indicate that investors would reap financial benefits of no less than 10% over a 24-year period. However, additional development from industries, real estate and related businesses could improve financial returns and shorten the return period.

These efforts to attract investors for the land bridge project have intensified the concerns of residents in the project development areas, who organised an event to scrutinise who really stands to gain or lose from the land bridge project and listed 10 reasons why the project should not be undertaken. Their principal concerns involve the environmental impacts and the actual benefits to be gained from the foreign investments.

The presentation from the southern regional council and network pointed out that the project would involve constructing large ports in Ranong and Chumphon, a dual-track railway project, industrial estates, and petrochemical plants, endeavours that would extract all the local resources while merely catering to the foreign investment groups and a select few politicians and construction contractors.

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