The Cabinet agreed in principle with the international Lancang-Mekong River navigation improvement plan from 2015-25, which intends to make the Mekong passable for 500-tonne cargo ships plying the route from China to Luang Prabang in Laos. However, the Cabinet decision was met with heavy protest.

Locals claimed that the adjustment to the river’s course would definitely shift the boundary of Thailand and Laos.

The removal of the rapids will destroy the breeding grounds and habitat of wildlife, which will lead to total devastation of the Mekong River ecosystem.

A joint statement was also released by 20 organisations protesting the Cabinet decision and emphasising that the Cabinet was making a major mistake in allowing the project, which has high risk and serious impact on the people and river ecosystem, to be implemented.

Jirasak Intayot, coordinator of the Rak Chiang Khong Group, raised concerns over the plan, saying that if the government insists on proceeding with the river channel adjustment work, they will have to consider the law seriously or they will end up in ceding the country’s territory and violating the law.

“The river channel improvement will definitely affect the border between Thailand and Laos, because the demolition of rapids would change the river flow and erode the riverbank, changing the border of Thailand and Laos,” he said. The Mekong River forms a part of the Thai-Lao border and changing the river’s course will also change the border, he argued.

The Mekong project was not new. It has been championed for a long time and was not successful until now because the Cabinet was worried about the possibility of territory losses. The project was postponed in 2003.

The joint statement stressed that if this project goes ahead, not only will the motherland be violated and vast swathes of land be lost, the Thai constitution mentions that any project that affects the country’s border must get the approval of Parliament first.

However, this Cabinet resolution has not been deliberated on by Parliament yet, so it may be in conflict with the Constitution.

The project will be implemented on the mainstream of the Mekong, but the agreement was among only four countries, excluding Cambodia and Vietnam, who were also members of the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

That was a violation of the MRC agreement and international regulations on international river management.

“The people’s networks demand that the Thai government end this project immediately to protect our country’s territory and preserve the precious Mekong River ecosystem,” the statement concluded.

Niwat Roikaew, chairman of the Rak Chiang Khong Group, warned that the demolition of rapids in the Mekong would destroy the habitat and spawning grounds for various kinds of native creatures, including the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish. “Not only will this project destroy the rich biodiversity and pristine ecosystem of the river, the ecosystem degradation will also severely hurt many people who depend on the river for food, and destroy their traditional livelihood too,” he said.

The group will send the petition to the government to end this project soon.

According to the Cabinet decision, the plan was part of the Agreement on Commercial Navigation on the Lancang-Mekong River signed by four riparian countries – China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand – to improve the navigation route on the Mekong and make commercial river transportation convenient, safe and in accordance with the agreement among the country members.

The Cabinet also approved the project to improve the river channel.

The Marine Department will oversee the study, working with other agencies to prevent an impact on the international boundary.

PRIME MINISTER’S Office Minister Ormsin Cheewapruek will speak with the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) after New Year’s Day about what to do regarding Dhammakaya Temple’s fugitive former abbot Phra Dhammachayo.

Omsin, who oversees the Office, affirmed yesterday that the Phra Dhammachayo case as well as those against the temple – would proceed according to the law. He added that he had already spoken about the matter with NOB officials on Tuesday, but since the details were not discussed, he would need to have another talk after New Year’s.

Meanwhile, national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said police were waiting for the right moment to apply for a search warrant and to arrest Phra Dhammachayo, so he could not set a definite timeframe as police have been instructed to avoid clashes.

He said he had not received any confirmation and therefore could not say if the monk, who has not been seen for months, had fled to the northern border area as speculated by a politician.

Chakthip said the police operation on Tuesday to demolish structures, especially at the fifth gate which blocked public roads around Dhammakaya Temple, had gone as planned. He said police would consider demolishing other blocking structures and will press charges if the obstacles are put in public spaces again.

Warning that people resisting police duty would be prosecuted, Chakthip said he believed that the move by disciples to pray on the roads on Tuesday might have been an attempt to provoke police officers into making an arrest and stir a conflict.

Meanwhile, Dhammakaya Temple has ordered more food supplies and tents to accommodate the thousands of disciples coming to the compound to pray, a source said. Temple staff members have covered tents with green plastic sheets at the spot where police had removed the metal fences.

Several tents were set up on the road along Klong An 2-3 where some concrete pillars are yet to be removed, the source said.

Those entering the temple from its fifth gate are required to present their ID cards, though members of the media are not allowed any access, the source added. There was no police presence near the temple gates yesterday.

The source said police and DSI officers, manning checkpoints on nearby roads were continuing to keep a close watch on suspicious-looking vehicles heading into the temple.

The post-coup interim charter allows the junta chief to overrule any existing law and also other government branches – namely the legislature and the judiciary.

August’s national referendum helped strengthen the government’s position further when more than 60 per cent of voters approved the draft charter. For some, the result was a stamp of public approval for the government and the junta, offsetting the undemocratic means by which they came to power.

Prior to the referendum, pressure against Prayut’s administration had been building both here and abroad. Opponents of the draft charter had complained about restrictions on referendum campaigning, though the vote passed off without serious incident and the country moved on.

The draft was revised to reflect the vote in favour of a proposal for appointed senators to join the process for selecting the prime minister for the next five years. Last month the revised draft was forwarded to the Palace for Royal endorsement.

The Constitution Drafting Commission is now writing organic laws required by the new charter, whose promulgation will trigger the countdown to the next general election.

This final month of the year has seen the government faced with a new challenge – this time from a large group of netizens protesting amendments to the Computer Crime Act that are expected to restrict freedom of expression. Their protest came in the form of attacks against government agency websites.

With more laws of a similar nature in the pipeline, the expressions of public discontent will likely continue next year.

Otherwise things appear to be going smoothly for the government. There is speculation however that its political roadmap for a return to democracy may be further delayed. Rumour has it that certain figures in power are unhappy with particular provisions in the final draft charter and are seeking ways to revise them. But they have run into several obstacles. The draft is no longer in government hands, while any revision made now would risk violating the document mandated by voters in the referendum.

However, there are whispers that changes will be made through amending the interim charter – a much easier option.

Asked to comment on this matter, National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai replied: “There have been no changes so far.”

Pornpetch did admit to telling assembly members not to travel abroad at this time, though they have been permitted a long New Year’s holiday. When pressed, he declined to say whether or not there would be amendments made to the interim charter next year. “I have not seen any motives for this, so I can’t tell you now,” the NLA chief said.

What we see now as smooth and predictable progress in Thai politics could change quickly in the next few weeks. As we face the new year, uncertainty is the only certainty.

PRIME MINSTER Prayut Chan-o-cha has invoked his absolute powers under Article 44 of the interim charter to resolve the “missing link” between the MRT Blue Line and MRT Purple Line in northwestern Bangkok.

The order was acknowledged by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s meeting yesterday prior to a Cabinet meeting.

NCPO chief Prayut ordered the Blue Line operator Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM) to operate a one-kilometre link between the Blue Line’s Bang Sue station and the Purple Line’s Tao Poon station, said NCPO Spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvaree.

In the current system, authorities provide free shuttle rides to commuters, which has cost about Bt147 million.

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) planned to open services bridging missing link in September of next year, according to MRTA chairman General Yodyuth Boonyatikarn.

He said the MRTA would speed up negotiations with BEM to expedite the project.

Yordyuth said BEM’s role as operator of the one-kilometre link would benefit commuters because the company already operated both the Purple and Blue lines.

He said the MRTA expected the project to take about six months for construction and two months for testing after the Cabinet approved the contract.

“If it’s done as planned, the service could be opened in August or September next year,” said Yordyuth.

Meanwhile, BEM chairman Plew Trivisvavet said the company would complete the project within six months after receiving MRTA approval.

“Initially, this will be subsidised by the government for Bt745 million,” he said.

Regarding Blue Line extensions, Yordyuth said the Hua Lamphong-Tha Phra-Bang Khae section would be open in September 2019 and the Tao Poon-Tha Phra section was scheduled to be inaugurated in February 2020.

In July, the NCPO also invoked Article 44 of the interim charter to resolve another “missing link” problem to make extensions to the Blue Line constitute a “through operation”, meaning that trains on the extensions would run on the same network as the original Blue Line currently operating.

That would mean the concession period to operate trains on the current Blue Line would probably be extended from its current expiration in 2029 to 2050, which is the end of the concession period for the Blue Line extensions.

Separately, a Cabinet meeting yesterday approved the establishment of a Rail Transport Department and three subsidiaries of the State Railway of Thailand to start operating next year with a total budget of Bt208 billion.

The latest invasion of the compound was by Chalerm Sornnonthee, who climbed in yesterday and began dropping ping-pong bombs as he called for the prime minister to help clear up his personal issues. His complaints were related to an outstanding informal loan and his losing a bid for a construction project.

The man had reportedly entered the compound twice last year, in April and in October, and Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan quoted the PM as saying he was not pleased with the chaos. Prawit was also not happy with security at the compound.

Security at Government House has been boosted since mid-last year, with separate entrances for different groups of people and security officials stationed at all gates.

However, individual trespassers into the administrative centre still remain a big problem.

The rising number of trespassers has not just raised concerns about the compound’s security system, but also left people wondering about the Damrongdhamma Centre’s ability to solve people’s problems.

The ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) set up the centre in 2014 to receive provincial people’s petitions, and it has cleared 90 per cent of the 98,000 plus problems it was alerted to.

The centre’s headquarters at Government House passes complaints on to its provincial branches. Of the 98,000 plus claims, 22,232 came from Bangkok, while 29,000 were filed from overseas or as “unspecified cases”. Most of the complaints – 58,368 – were related to society and social welfare, followed by 13,418 about officials and graft.

However, there were some complaints that slipped through the cracks, and complainants have had to show up in person to have them resolved:

October 2014: Sangvian Raksapech burned herself at the Damrongdhamma Centre and was later pronounced dead. Her complaint was related to informal debt.

March 2016: Jarint Kratin, 51, tried to set fire to herself. She was calling for the authorities to clear up betting houses in Bangkok’s Thewes area.

June 2016: Janejuri Chuapat, 27, made her way to an exhibition in the compound and screamed at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to look into a project that can “read people’s minds”.

Before Prayut’s administration, in June 2007, 40-year-old cabbie Pongpichan Thanathirapong armed with a knife and gas cylinder and threatened to kill himself, saying he had been treated unfairly by state officials. He returned with the same complaint in February 2008 and protested by honking loudly outside the compound. He then came back in 2012 to demand fairness for those who were injured in the 2010 political turmoil.