The ceremony was held at Rajadamri Station, where three elevators are located.

Phrom Phong and Thong Lor stations also have three elevators and On Nut Station has two.

It is part of a plan to install a total of 56 elevators at 19 stations by the end of the year.

An under-reported 13-year rebellion in the southernmost provinces by Malay Muslim insurgents against the Buddhist-majority Thai state has killed more than 6,800 people.

That toll rose late Thursday when gunman opened fire on the trio of plainclothes soldiers as they patrolled a night market in Mayo district of Pattani province.

“They were shot by seven or eight gunmen,” Captain Muhamad Maadwang of Mayo police station told AFP.

“They had no chance to fire back, all of them were shot dead at scene,” he said, adding that militants were suspected of carrying out the attack.

A $14,000 bounty has been offered for the arrest of the gunmen, local media reported.

Around the same time a 44-year-old Muslim man was killed in the same district in a drive-by shooting, police said.

Earlier in the day a family of four — including an eight-year-old boy — were gunned down early on a remote road as they drove to school, an attack that brought widespread condemnation.

Insurgents, who operate in tight and secretive cells, rarely claim their attacks.

But they are often carried out in retaliation for specific security crackdowns or at pivot points in peace talks.

The timing of the market shooting of the soldiers carried insurgents’ hallmarks.

Thursday’s violence comes days after the Thai army and the Mara Patani, an umbrella group representing some rebel factions at peace talks, agreed to create a limited ‘safety zone’ in the region.

The deal, tantamount to a highly localised ceasefire, was a small but rare step forward in years of stuttering talks.

But analysts have played down the significance of the ‘safety zone’ announcement, casting doubt on the Mara’s control over the main rebel footsoldiers.

The surge in violence may point to dissatisfaction from the insurgents with the safety zone deal.

The Malay Muslim majority deep south was colonised by Thailand over a century ago.

Locals accuse Thailand of steam rolling their unique identity and culture as well as rights abuses.

The comment was made by Dhammakaya monk Phra Maha Tossaporn Poonnayangkalo, speaking to press at the temple’s gate.

The monk was speaking in the absence of the temple’s communication chief, Phra Sanitwong Chareonrattawong, who is under threat of arrest from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) after failing to respond to a summons.

The DSI has said that its officers are gathering evidence to file charges of incitement against people for allegedly spreading misinformation or distorted news on social media, including Phra Sanitwong.

Kanita Ouithavorn, chief of the department’s Wildlife Forensic Science Unit, said the unit’s mission is to gather the DNA of wildlife in the country and keep the data in a bank as well as develop a database to crosscheck and verify the gene characteristics and species.

Over the past few years, it has expanded its work in wildlife forensic investigation to help in legal proceedings against wildlife crimes by providing objective and scientific proof. This work has become increasingly important in the legal process and is acknowledged in court, she claimed.

The unit has also been working on developing a DNA database for domesticated elephants, which has long been a problem due to a loophole in identifying and verifying the animals’ origins.

At least 16 DNA markings are made to help identify the genetic characteristics of each elephant, plus 13 more to help the DNA matching with his or her expected parents.

“We want to confirm that every step of the DNA check is scientifically based using a standard set of knowledge and tools. Also our work is acknowledged by the courts,” Kanita added.

The lab was opened after some elephant owners protested against the lab results on their elephants which were confiscated by the DNP’s Phaya Suea forest crime suppression taskforce.

In a protest at the Royal Kraal in Ayutthaya province, they threatened to bring domesticated elephants from across the country to Bangkok on National Thai Elephant Day to demand that the Phaya Suea, or “Tiger King”, taskforce is disbanded.

The Phaya Suea team confiscated TG and Koh Phaya Petch in June last year from an animal show in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district, only to learn later that the animals came from the kraal.

So, the team agreed with the kraal’s owners to conduct a fresh round of DNA checks on the two animals and their parents to verify their origins after learning that their identification documents were erroneous.

The latest DNA test results showed some non-correlation with the DNA in the gene bank, prompting the team to suspect some irregularities in the elephants’ identification and origin.

The conflict between the elephant camp and Phaya Suea rose when the authorities decided to register more than 3,440 domesticated elephants – almost 99 per cent of the animals’ total documented population in Thailand – for a fresh round of DNA checks to meet a deadline this month.

The DNA checks are meant to verify the animals’ origins to re-evaluate the country’s elephant population and help to close loopholes involving the illegal smuggling of wild elephants and incorrectly registered domesticated elephants.

TWO GEOLOGISTS were killed yesterday when a large rock, which had been loosened by an earlier explosion in a huge tunnel construction project in Chiang Mai province, fell on them.

The bodies of the victims – Prathomporn Siriwat and Pratchawat Wasu-anan, both 24 and from Chiang Mai – were taken to Mae Tang Hospital in Mae Tang district.

Wongpan Wongsamut, a chief engineer of the provincial irrigation office, said the accident took place after an explosion at a side tunnel, which is part of the Mae Ngad-Mae Kuang water-diversion tunnel.

He said the geologists were sent into the tunnel to examine the layers of stone when the loosened rock fell on them at about 7am.

“We are investigating the cause of the accident,” Wongpan said.

The project at Tambon Mae Horphra is now sealed pending the probe. It is part of a Bt11.5 billion, 23-kilometre tunnel project which is slated to be completed by 2021. Both men were working for Italian-Thai Development PCL on the site.

During a press conference yesterday, Noppadol Pianwet, a construction expert advising the project, said there had been a controlled explosion on Tuesday at the section of tunnel where the accident happened, which was buttressed by cement and bracing equipment.

The two geologists were sent to conduct an inspection for further tunnel drilling when the large rock, measuring about three-metres by one-metre, fell on them.

He dismissed speculation that the tunnel collapsed or rocks fell due to water pressure.

He said the project was located in a mountainous area and secondary faults would be normal. Workers at the site had already been trained on safety measures because rockslides were an anticipated risk.

He said the company would be extra careful and increase safety measures in the future, adding that the accident did not result from any flaws in the construction, design or bracing equipment.

Large Irrigation Construction Office 1 director Wit Wongkamonchun offered condolences to the families of the two men and said Bt50,000 funeral assistance money would be given to each family plus other compensation that could amount to at least Bt100,000.

Chiang Mai Provincial Labour Protection and Welfare Office safety inspection official Paksathorn Samitrapanya said her team was investigating the incident to determine if there were any occupational safety law violations.

Project engineer Sommai Buakham said officials assessed the area before the engineers entered the tunnel, adding that staff were required to wear safety gear.

Prof Dr Chaiwat Satha-Anand, head of Thammasat University’s Peace Information Centre, said during an exclusive interview that the ongoing saga did not involve just a single conflict.

“I can’t tell how the saga will end. From what I can see, it’s by no means about just one conflict. This means even if you manage to settle one, another will materialise,” he said.

During the past two weeks, police and soldiers have surrounded the massive Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani province for the operations to arrest its controversial honorary abbot Phra Dhammachayo.

Although his name is implicated in many scandals, Phra Dhammachayo is undeniably a charismatic monk. Even after an arrest warrant was issued for him over money-laundering charges, he has managed to maintain a huge following.

As a result, Dhammakaya Temple closed ranks to protect Phra Dhammachayo with thousands of Buddhists staying at the temple to show their unwavering support.

Chaiwat said many people must have believed that the problem would end easily if Phra Dhammchayo agreed to enter the judicial process.

“But in the eyes of some, the process is a tool that the authorities have used. It’s not easy to use such a tool regarding sensitive issues or ones involving the faith of people,” Chaiwat said.

He added that the government must tread carefully in such cases or else many people will feel offended.

“When the authorities plan the arrest, they must also think about how to ensure that it will not trigger another fresh conflict in society. Don’t forget that the Dhammakaya Temple issue is also related to many things. Think about reconciliation among Thai Buddhists,” he said.

Chaiwat added that the Dhammakaya Temple could be interpreted as a Buddhism revival movement.

“This movement has highlighted meditation,” he said. “Revival here refers to efforts to encourage people to come more frequently to temples and listen more to sermons.”

A 7am yesterday, a group of gunmen began shooting at a pick-up truck in which Ban Si Pinyo’s assistant village head Somchai Thongchan was riding with his family, including his son, to a school in Rusoh district. The attackers used M-16 rifles and pistols.

Somchai, his wife Rustika, his sister-in-law Som and his eight-year-old son Thanakit were killed immediately, while the other two passengers sustained serious injuries and were taken to a hospital nearby.

Religious leaders in the predominantly Muslim region strongly condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the family.

“The strong will of Islam is to protect lives, and on behalf of the religious leader I condemn the violence since it is against the religious doctrine,” said Pattani Islamic Committee’s chairman Dueramae Mamingji.

Safiae Jehloh, chairman of the Narathiwat Islamic Committee, also expressed his condolences. “We don’t want to see such incidents anymore. It [violence] goes against Islam, the religion honours people and protects lives,” he said.

Violence in the deep South killed more than 6,800 people since early 2004. Authorities in Bangkok said they could reach a peace agreement with the MARA Patani group, which is unlikely to represent the insurgents on the ground.

“I believe the attackers and those who were behind the attack want to discredit the peace process and create mistrust among people in the area,” Nimu Makaje, former vice chairman of the Pattani Islamic Committee, said.

“Only cowardly fighters who have no ideology attack such vulnerable people,” Pramote Prom-In, spokesman of the Internal Security Operation Command, said.

“However the authorities will try to bring them to justice and not use violence to retaliate.”

Having failed to turn himself into the DSI in accordance with a previous summons, Phra Sanitwong can be arrested on sight, he added.

The move, under the Criminal Code’s Section 116, followed the reported death of assistant pharmacist Pattana Chiangraeng, 48, due to an asthma attack inside the temple. Dhammakaya monks including Phra Sanitwong claimed her death was because an ambulance was stopped by authorities and could not reach her in time.

However, government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd has said the ambulance was called for in the afternoon but an initial post mortem of Pattana’s body determined that she had died at about 9am, adding that blame related to the ambulance was a distortion of the facts.

Meanwhile, Pattana’s elder sister Sirinya Khamjeen, who went with relatives to the Thammasat Hospital morgue where the body is being kept, said Pattana had been sick since February 15, adding that she had tried to visit her on Tuesday but was not allowed inside the temple compound, so she had returned to her hometown Phayao.

She added that Pattana, who had worked at the temple’s infirmary for almost 30 years, did not have asthma. “If the phone signal wasn’t cut, my sister would still be alive,” she said.

Deputy police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said the Thammasat Hospital medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Pattana concluded that she died from a lung infection, but did not elaborate on the time of death. He said the examiner issued the death certificate so that the family could notify authorities about the death.

However, DSI spokesman Woranan said Pattana’s death was initially determined to have resulted from uncertain causes. DSI officers also brought members of the media to inspect Pattana’s room behind the temple yesterday.

Meanwhile, it was reported that an increasing number of people inside the temple compound have been showing signs of ill health, with doctors on the scene calling for ambulances via the centralised emergency hotline 1669.

Temple disciple meets officers

Regarding summonses issued for three lay people who allegedly obstructed officers’ enforcement of the junta order declaring the temple a controlled zone, Woranan said a key temple disciple, Ai Petchthong, had met officers on Wednesday and was released on the same night.

Ai was told not to become involved with protests staged by Dhammakaya supporters and to avoid the protest site at Klong Luang Market. He is scheduled to meet officers for an indictment at Thanyaburi Court on March 2.

The two others, Kotchakorn Chaiwan and Phayung Oonahit, had until today to surrender before officers would file a police complaint against them, Woranan added.

He said the junta order backed by the powerful Article 44 of the interim charter authorised officers to apprehend wanted persons at any time.

In the meantime, political activist Sombat Boonngamanong posted on his Facebook page that army officers had asked him to stop expressing opinions about Dhammakaya Temple being cordoned off and threatened him with a summons.

“Half of the country is talking about the Dhammakaya case. Why do you have a problem with me?” he wrote, citing another post that said “the only person who can order me to shut my mouth is a dentist”.

Sombat said earlier this week that authorities’ move to block phone coverage would not help the search for Phra Dhammachayo. He added that 20,000 soldiers should be deployed to search the entire compound in a single day, after which everyone should withdraw and leave monks and lay people to resume their normal activities.

A team of academics and public policy campaigners discussed the current problems of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process at a forum held at Chulalongkorn University yesterday.

The forum agreed that the current common practice of an EIA/EHIA study in Thailand did not encourage environmental protection and public participation in a project. Instead, it was used as a tool to legitimise a controversial project.

At the forum organised by Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute, the panellists concluded that the EIA/EHIA study procedure must be reformed and the SEA must be implemented first to select the most suitable policy before projects are planned.

Campaigner Prasitchai Nu-nuan from Save Andaman from Coal said that the current EIA/EHIA studying process contained many improper practices that led to conflicts and problems afterwards.

“In recent decades, every time there has been an EIA consideration, there has been been conflicts between the project owner and the local people and this is what happened in Krabi in the case of the coal-fired power plant,” Prasichai said.

“This is because the EIA/EHIA was conducted by the consulting company, hired by the project owner, so they benefit from the project and they will do everything to make the report pass.”

Supakit Nantaworakan from the Healthy Public Policy Foundation also stated that the EIA/EHIA process does not do enough to ensure good development. He said that an SEA can be an efficient tool to overview specific areas such as development strategies, energy options and economic progression choices.

“An SEA is the study into the potential of the area by considering the information from all sides and determining the impact of each development strategy option to see which choice is the best strategy for the area that also meets good standards such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or the philosophy of sufficiency economy,” Supakit said.

“Compared to the EIA/EHIA, it is just an impact assessment of a single project and does not include a study on alternative options to the project.”

A proper SEA study could prevent conflicts on environmentally harmful projects, as the development has already been well planned to meet with the natural resource base and locals’ demands.

“An SEA will also open up space for all stakeholders to discuss policy planning for their area, which can effectively reduce disputes in the future,” he said.

Panellists also agreed that the country’s EIA/EHIA process needed to be reformed.

Mahasarakham University lecturer Chainarong Sretthachau stated the first thing that should be changed is the employer-employee relationship between the project owner and the study team.

“The common practice now is that the project owner hires the consultant company to conduct an EIA/EHIA for them, so the study team has a vested interest in the project, which leads to bias and a report of doubtful quality,” Chainarong said.

He suggested that the study team should be a neutral intellectual group and the process of study should not only be limited to the scientific approach to collect and assess the information, but other research methodologies, such as Tai Ban Studies (local folk wisdom), should also be used to ensure inclusive research.

He also stressed that public participation in the EIA/EHIA should be changed. The neutral committee should oversee the public hearing process and make sure that local people have a proper understanding of the project and its impact by ensuring full access to information on the project.

Supakit said the study should also include the estimation of benefits from a healthy environment and ecosystem to let the EIA/EHIA consideration committee realise the full cost of the project.

Meanwhile, Somboon Khamhang, secretary-general of the Non-Government Organisation Committee on Rural Development in the South, cautioned that an EIA/EHIA or SEA can be a harmful weapon against the local people if it were poorly implemented just to serve the project owners’ agendas.

Somboon also urged the public to closely monitor the upcoming EHIA study of the Krabi coal-fired power plant and the first public hearing of the Pakbara Seaport in Satun to prevent the disputes over EIA/EHIA in the future.

Recommendations on the EIA/EHIA reform

• The study team must not have an employer-employee relationship with the project owner to prevent bias.
• There must be a neutral committee to oversee the study process, public participation and the report consideration.
• There must be transparency in information about the project and the public participation process.
• People must have proper knowledge about the project and its impact before attending the public hearing forum.
• The study area must not be limited to only a few kilometres from the project site.
• The cost to the environment and livelihoods and the benefits from the ecosystem must be calculated and included in the report.
• There must be the good auditing system in place after the EIA/EHIA is passed to ensure the project follows good practices as per the EIA/EHIA report.

Source: The Nation