THE FINAL decision on the Krabi coal-fired power plant will be made today amid an uproar about the value of the plant and Thailand’s future energy policy.

After two years of conflict over the construction of the plant in the resource-rich province, the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) committee is scheduled to announce a decision today.

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) governor Kornrasit Pakchotanon said he hoped the outcome will be in his organisation’s favour, as the country urgently needed the plant to ensure the stability of power generation.

“If the Krabi coal-fired power plant project is rejected, we will have to admit it and develop a new gas power plant elsewhere in the South. The power stability of our country is at stake and we need a new fossil-fuel power plant to ensure that there will not be power shortages in the future,” Kornrasit said, adding that the South had the highest risk of generation shortfalls nationwide.

However, he said that a proposed gas power plant would not be as good as the coal-fired plan because the price of gas was unstable and could rise sharply within a short period of time. The price of coal is more stable, he said, which would allow cheaper electricity in the future.

“We can save up to Bt6 billion per year if we use coal. Moreover, Thailand would still use coal in a very small proportion, only 22 per cent compared to 66 per cent from gas. Moreover, we use less coal than many other developed countries,” he said.

“It is essential to ensure power stability by using fossil fuels because renewable energies such as biomass, solar and wind power cannot generate power stably. If we have power stability, our economy can grow and benefit everyone.”

Meanwhile, leading energy expert Prasart Meetam argued that power stability in the South could be achieved by promoting small biomass power plants.

“Biomass power plants in the South could generate power up to 300 days per year from methane, a byproduct from palm oil production, and each plant has a capacity to produce 8.5 megawatts of electricity,” Prasart said.

He said there were more than 30 small biomass power plants in Krabi that could produce enough power for the province, while the cost of electricity produced from biomass was getting cheaper every year. He added that the country could ensure power stability with renewable energies.

“I agree that a coal-fired power plant can produce cheap electricity, but it will be at a very expensive cost for the environment and the well-being of local people because coal is very polluting and produces a large amount of greenhouse gases, which will worsen climate change and affect everyone on the planet,” he said.

He also said Thailand’s power reserves of 31 per cent were sufficient compared to the suggested reserves of 15 per cent.

“A very high power reserve will unnecessary increase the cost of electricity, because we have to pay the operational costs for the electricity that we do not use,” he said.

However, Kornrasit said that high power reserves were necessary to ensure power stability and prevent blackouts in the case of unexpected events when one or more power plants could not operate.

As the EPPO committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, considers the future of the Krabi plant today, an opposition group from Krabi will gather at Government House to protest and call for the project to be cancelled.

Order number 6/2017, which was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday with immediate effect, stated that the Pattaya City administration, a special local administrative organisation, needed a highly effective chief executive.

The term of the previous mayor, Ittipol Khunpluem, expired last June and a permanent secretary of the city had been serving as acting mayor, because NCPO orders prohibited a new election from being held.

The document notes that Thai forestland has shrunk dramatically in the last few decades, from 139 million rai in 1973 to 81 million rai in 1998 – an average loss of two million rai per year. In 1998 the government attempted to halt encroachment with a Cabinet resolution to register forest dwellers, but the woodland kept disappearing – albeit at a slowed rate of 250,000 rai per year.

By last year, the country had around 102 million rai of forest left, or around 31 per cent of Thailand’s total landmass. Of this, around 70 million rai are designated protected areas, in the form of national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.

Reformers are aiming to boost forest cover by 40 per cent, or 26 million rai, over the next 20 years, with 25 per cent, or another 10 million rai protected.

The most critical problems are in the protected forest, which has lost up to six million rai to encroachment. That illegal practice has been aided by the 1998 Cabinet resolution’s blurring of the lines when it comes to disputes over overlapping rights between forest dwellers and the state.

The latest proposal notes that forest officials have registered claims on 1.5 million rai of the six million rai, from 167, 650 land users. The result of the land rights verification process for these claims are still unknown.

The problem has grown more complex, since many of the plots in question have been passed from poor forest dwellers to wealthy developers during the process. The result has been a mushrooming of luxury resorts, further impacting the quality of the forest.

So besides aiming to boost forest cover by 40 per cent, the latest forest reform proposal is targeting encroachment by tackling complicated land-use designations in forests and seeking to establish legitimate rights.

The problem with the 1998 Cabinet resolution – the best tool we currently have to protect forested land – is the vague guideline it offers to forest officials: Often, they do manage to verify legitimate rights only to learn that the rightful claimants are living in “ecologically fragile forest”. At this point the guidelines are of little help.

The proposal attempts to tackle this complication with more concrete measures for officials to follow. Besides additional enforcement of the NCPO chief’s orders No 64 and 66, to re-register and verify land rights in forests within a timeframe, the panel also proposed amendments to the dated National Parks and the Wildlife Conservation acts.

The amendments centre on re-zoning forest areas for better management of land uses. For instance, those found living in ecologically fragile zones might have to relocate. The amendments also address seizure of assets plus more severe penalties for owners of encroaching resorts.

The 250-page document is full of detail, from the root causes down to the solutions, which need thorough study to gain understanding. Shortly after it was published, the proposal garnered fierce opposition from some environmentalists, who fear it could deprive the rights of the poor.

As it covers everything from root causes including flawed state policies, to solutions that appear responsive and cohesive, the proposal deserves our thorough study before we pass judgement.

After all, the national forest issue involves us all and thus requires our full participation in helping figure out what is best for Thailand’s ecology, and not a knee-jerk rejection.

AUTHORITIES yesterday failed to find wanted former abbot Phra Dhammachayo during a large-scale search of the scandal-hit Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani.

The third attempt to arrest the influential monk ended with police and officials from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) leaving the vast monastery complex empty-handed, following a 14-hour mission that began before dawn.

DSI spokesman Woranin Srilam said yesterday that Phra Dhammachayo had not been found during a search focusing on specific areas in the massive temple complex.

A senior Department of Special Investigation official briefs the media about yesterday’s operation, showing a large satellite image of the temple compound.

He said that the search would resume this morning in other areas.

Yesterday’s search covered about 20 to 25 per cent of the complex, which occupies more than 2,100 rai (336 hectares).

“The fugitive was not found during the search of areas where he was expected him to be. We still have many days left to complete the mission,” Woranin told a press conference.

The search warrant issued by the court is valid for 10 days, longer than previous search warrants, which expired in a day.

Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Patanacharoen said authorities had not been blocked by temple followers during the operation. He also dismissed a rumour on social media that authorities had clashed with temple devotees.

Two previous operations last year also failed to get Dhammachayo, who is wanted for alleged money laundering and accepting stolen goods in connection with an embezzlement case involving a key follower of the monk.

Yesterday’s operation came after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha issued an order to declare Wat Dhammakaya and the surrounding areas under the control of authorities in preparation for a raid.

The order, which was signed by Prayut on Wednesday in his capacity as head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), was published in the Royal Gazette early yesterday. The NCPO chief invoked his power under Article 44 of the post-coup interim charter. More than 3,000 officers from the DSI, the Royal Thai Police and the First Army Area were involved in yesterday’s operation. While some officers gathered outside the temple complex others entered the compound through different gates to search for the fugitive monk.

Hundreds of the monk’s followers came to the temple early yesterday morning and were prevented by authorities from entering the compound. They later gathered outside and took part in mass prayers for hours. Hundreds of temple followers were also inside the complex.

Previous attempts to raid the temple were thwarted after thousands of devotees showed up to defend the septuagenarian monk who founded the now ultra-rich temple in 1970. Among the temple’s followers are wealthy businesspeople, senior state officials and powerful politicians.

A close disciple of Dhammachayo, former Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative chairman Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, is serving a 16-year jail term for embezzling members of the cooperative in a B12-billion fraud. Before his arrest, Supachai had donated more than Bt900 million to the monk. Ongoing investigations have suggested a network connected to the monk had received more than Bt1 billion from the cooperative.

A Dhammakaya spokesman, Phra Sanitwong Wutthiwangso, told media gathered outside the temple that he could not confirm whether the wanted ex-abbot was inside. “I don’t know his whereabouts. I haven’t seen him for nine months,” he said.

Paisit Wongmuang, DSI director-general, urged the abbot to turn himself in to end the drama. “If the monk thinks he is innocent, he should surrender and enter the judicial process,” he said.

Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Prayut’s order was aimed at integrating efforts of all the state agencies involved to maximise legal enforcement and protect the lives of innocent people in the temple’s vicinity.

‘Complicated case’

“The order has been thought out thoroughly to solve this complicated case,” Sansern said. “It is needed because the defendants last time did not cooperate with authorities and stopped officers from entering areas.”

He said the order should result in authorities implementing more effective controls over logistics, utilities, communications and traffic systems in the temple. Yesterday’s operation mainly involved police, while the military provided support forces outside the compound, he added.

Justice Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said he could not confirm whether Dhammachayo was still inside the temple complex.

“The police will search every part of the temple,” Suwaphan told The Nation. “If Dhammachayo is nowhere to be found, we will need to seek out why he is not there,” he added.

The minister refused to precisely spell out why authorities decided to conduct another search of the temple.

“All I can say is that the DSI has put in efforts since last year [regarding this case],” he said. “We have a search warrant. The present situation should make things easy. This should not be prolonged any longer.”

Social media was abuzz over the issue, with a widespread debate as to whether the former abbot was still in the temple. Many netizens commented that they believed the monk had fled long ago, given the several months authorities waited before carrying out yesterday’s operation. About 84 per cent of respondents in a survey by The Nation said they believed Phra Dhammachayo was no longer at the temple, while the remaining 16 per cent thought otherwise. A total of 1,071 people responded to the survey conducted through Twitter.

On Wednesday night, Ongart Thammanitha, spokesman for the monk’s followers, turned himself into police to face the charge of inciting unrest. He was later released on bail on condition that he not leave the country and not attempt to incite the monk’s followers again, Krissana said.

After the stand-off, a dramatic day yields few results

Chronology of failed raid yesterday:

1.30am – Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief, declares Dhammakaya Temple a special control zone.

2.30am – Soldiers set up checkpoints around the temple, barring entry to people not related to the authorities’ operation.

3.30am – Police arrive at the temple. Other police units are put on standby stationed at the nearby Border Patrol Police Region 1.

5am – Police post announcements regarding alleged offences committed by temple staff and its honorary abbot, Phra Dhammachayo, at Gates 5 and 6. Masked temple followers are seen observing and taking pictures of officials.

6am – More police are stationed at gates 5, 6, 7 and 8. Roads around the temple are closed to traffic.

6.30am – Police and soldiers control gates 5 and 6. People are allowed to leave the temple but no one is allowed to enter, which upsets some temple followers. Prayers inside the Dhammakaya Temple start peacefully.

7am – Monks returning from morning alms are barred from entering the temple. Their followers argue with officials but the altercation ends peacefully. The temple’s radio broadcast announces that authorities should not restrict people’s right to practise Dhamma.

7.30am – Department of Special Investigation (DSI) deputy chief Pol Lt-Colonel Suriya Singhakamon and his team enter the temple to begin negotiations.

7.40am – Negotiations between the DSI and the temple begin.

11.30am –Temple staff agree to let the DSI search the temple.

1.15pm – The DSI cuts the chains at the temple’s Gate 1.

1.20pm – The gates are open and officials enter without resistance.

1.50pm – Resistance builds as the DSI enters Gate 8 to search a building close to the Chan Khonnokyoong Memorial Hall.

3.50pm – DSI officials leave the temple empty-handed, saying they had not found Phra Dhammachayo.

5.30pm – The DSI announces that they have finished searching the entire Zone A and parts of Zone C within the temple compound.

Today – The DSI will start searching other areas of Zone C and Zone B at 8am.

*** The operation is being conducted under a search warrant that is valid for 10 days. The area remains designated a special control zone to facilitate the ongoing search. 

Immigration Bureau Police chief Pol Lt-General Nattorn Prohsunthorn said yesterday that several devices for credit-card forgery were found in Oleksandr Karchkovskyi’s possession.

“We also found a list of cardholders and their credit limits,” Nattorn said.

He added that Karchkovskyi had confessed that he sold credit-card account information for half of each card’s credit allowance.

Karchkovskyi, who arrived in Thailand on March 11 last year, was initially arrested for using a fake credit card at a shopping centre in Bangkok’s Pratunam area on Wednesday, but the search at his rented room revealed he was linked to a credit-card forgery gang.

“Now, he is in custody. We will investigate his case further,” Nattorn said.

He added that police had also arrested two other foreign suspects recently on separate cases.

Roland Georg Ilmer, an Austrian, was nabbed for allegedly leading a transnational criminal network and engaging in the trade of marijuana.

“He has allegedly exported 98 kilos of marijuana from India to Switzerland and Austria using Thailand as his base,” Nattorn said.

The arrest took place in Chon Buri province after the Austrian Embassy alerted Thai authorities about Ilmer, who was on Interpol’s wanted list.

Ilmer entered Thailand on August 7, 2012, portraying himself as a tourist.

Nattorn said police had also nabbed Li Qi Feng, a Chinese national, in response to a request from China.

“There’s an arrest warrant for Li. He is charged with bidding collusion in his homeland,” he said, adding that Li would be deported.