Bangkok: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has explained the absence of voting activity in the Hmong village of Khun Huai Tak, located in Tak Province, due to the lack of electricity. On February 8th, 2026, residents of Ban Khun Huai Tak (Ban Mong Mai Phatthana), Village No. 5, Thong Pha Subdistrict, Ban Tak District, did not participate in the voting process. This situation arose from a long-standing issue where community leaders and villagers had been requesting electricity installation for over a decade without success or clear communication from the responsible agencies.

According to Thai News Agency, the PEA has conducted a thorough investigation into the situation and provided a detailed explanation. Ban Maew Khun Huai Tak is situated within the Mae Thoe National Forest Reserve and Huai Tak Right Bank Forest Reserve, in a Class 1 watershed area. The extension of the electrical system to this location requires approximately 9 kilometers of infrastructure and an investment exceeding 13 million baht. Before construction can commence, permission is needed to use land within these forest reserves, along with Cabinet approval for utilizing the area as a Class 1 watershed.

PEA highlighted that obtaining Cabinet approval involves preparing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report to seek a land use waiver. This includes surveying the area, studying suitable routes, and gathering feedback from the local Hmong community. The preparation of the EIA report is estimated to take 1-2 years. Currently, PEA is in the process of considering and preparing this report.

Once the EIA report is completed, PEA will submit it to the Cabinet for approval. Following approval, PEA plans to allocate budget from the Phase 3 electricity expansion project for new residential areas (KFM.3). This phase is expected to take approximately 6 months to complete, ultimately supplying electricity to the Khun Huai Tak Hmong village.