Currently, the EHIA process has an independent committee appointed by the authority, mostly dominated by government experts. Ms Penchome urged the government to come up with an alternative such as setting up an expert group to take part in the EHIA process. Without public participation, development projects in Thailand will face opposition. Local communities had protested against many development projects, resulting in social conflicts and economic loss. After six years of work, the ICEH has provided studies on 28 development projects, most of them petrochemical projects and other large infrastructure.

Source: Bangkok Post October 11, 2017 22:20 UTC