A public hearing on future energy production was called off yesterday morning after a mob of about 300 angry protesters obstructed the front of the venue.

"You build, we burn," shouted the protesters outside the Siam City Hotel. They insisted the government's 15-year draft energy plan - which includes a proposal for nuclear power plants - be dropped. The hotel asked the organisers to cancel the meeting, because the protesters were frightening guests.

Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand had planned to conduct a forum to discuss the 15-year power-development plan to deal with energy consumption in the long term. The ministry is considering nuclear power as one of its options in the 2007-21 plan, in order to meet growing demand.

Energy Policy and Planning Office director-general Viraphol Jirapraditkul said the hearing would be rescheduled and that the cancellation would not derail the second round of bidding of the independent-power-producer scheme.

"The bidding is scheduled to take place sometime late this year, so there's still ample time for a public hearing," he said.

Clad in green shirts and waving green flags, opponents from Prachuap Khiri Khan province gathered to obstruct the meeting. The demonstrators were led by Jintana Kaewkao, one of the leaders of the Hin Krut Conservation Group, which opposes construction of power plants in the communities of Bor Nok and Hin Krut.

Jintana said residents in Prachuap Khiri Khan objected to Piyasvasti's energy plan because they viewed him as a strong promoter of nuclear and coal-fired power plants.

The protesters later moved to the Industry Ministry to protest against speculation that the government might move the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate from Rayong province on the Eastern Seaboard to a site in the South, possibly Prachuap Khiri Khan.

While waiting for Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras, protester Krou-ma Pongnoi told The Nation, "The government shouldn't cite the gross domestic product in setting up new industrial estates or power plants. It should consider what people in the area need rather than one group's benefits."

She added, "We accept that we need energy, but we don't want energy sources that ruin our environment, regardless of whether it is coal, natural gas or nuclear. If the government offers clean-energy plants using something solar or wind power, we think we could accept that."

Piyasvasti said the forum was called off by the hotel's management and not by the ministry, so it was necessary to find a new venue.

The public hearing is being held to listen to the opinions of all parties concerned, he said, adding that Thailand needed a long-term plan to develop alternative energy, in order to ensure that the power supply met demand.

He said the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and other relevant agencies had not yet made a final decision on the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

"We are willing to listen to opinions from all parties regarding the use of alternative energy, including natural gas, coal and alternative fuels, for the sake of the country's development. Opponents should not say no to every choice, but rather should use the seminar to express their opinions and understand the views of others," he said.

Over the next 15 years, additional electrical-generating capacity of about 32,000 megawatts is planned. Thailand's peak electricity demand is expected to rise to 50,223MW in 2021, from 22,684MW this year.

Chalida     Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation