The military has asked a university in the Deep South to ‘educate’ the opponents of a local coal-fired power plant. An environmentalist said the military is actually asking for a total silence.
On Tuesday, 24 May 2016, Prasitchai Noonual, a lecturer at Prince of Songkla University and a coordinator of the Save Andaman from Coal network, posted a letter from the Commander of the 42nd Military Circle to the President of Prince of Songkla University on his Facebook page. The letter asks the University to educate its staff, especially those who have protested against the project, about the construction process of the Thepha coal-fired power plant.
“Some personnel in your organization might not understand the construction process of the power plant and protest against it. Therefore, we (the military) would like to ask you (the President) to educate those personnel about the construction process of the power plant” reads the letter.
Prasitchai, as one of the protesters, said in his post that he was furious with the letter, saying that this is the military’s attempt to push forward the power plant regardless of local opposition.
Although the letter merely asks the university to educate their staff, Prasitchai believed that the military actually wants a total silencing.
Latest Contents
Prachatai English is an independent, non-profit news outlet committed to covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite pressure from the authorities. Your support will ensure that we stay a professional media source and be able to meet the challenges and deliver in-depth reporting.
• Simple steps to support Prachatai English
1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank
2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”