Acknowledging the people’s burden from strict enforcement of the law, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said it would use the powers to pardon owners of structures encroaching over waterways that are over 100 years old, waive payment of fines for fish cages, and lower the annual fee for waterway encroachment to an affordable level,.

Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akrathit said after the Cabinet meeting yesterday that the Transport Ministry had suggested NCPO use Article 44 to solve the problems of enforcing the new law, as many people would be seriously affected.

Pichit said the junta would issue a new order extending the notification period for owners of encroaching structures from the original June 22 deadline, waive punishment against owners of structures that were over 100 years old, and reduce the fee for waterways encroachment to Bt5 per square metre per year.

On the annual fee issue, the Ministry will announce regulations regarding types of waterway encroachment and the fee that the owners have to pay, while the government also accepted a request from the fisheries sector to scrap fines for fish cages and extend the notification period.

“The NCPO will issue a new order to solve this issue within one week and there will be the proper extension of notification period, but not up to one year as the fisheries sector requested,” he said.

Meanwhile, Somboon Khamhang, secretary-general of the Non-Government Organisation Committee on Rural Development in the South, said that although the government showed its intention to relieve people’s burden, the measures were still not enough.

“The Bt5 per square metre fee is still far too expensive for poor people. We still do not see that the government understands the livelihood and culture of the people who have lived with the water for generations,” Somboon said.

“In order to find the best solution for this issue, the government should summon all stakeholders for discussion. Water encroachment is a complex issue and they cannot just apply the same law countrywide.”