Bangkok: Noraset is preparing to submit a motion to the government to reconsider proceeding with the land bridge project. Noraset is preparing to submit a motion requesting the government to "reconsider proceeding with the Land Bridge project," questioning why the government is in such a hurry when the EIA-EHIA are not yet complete. He fears the mega-project will negatively impact the environment and be uneconomical.

According to Thai News Agency, Senator Noraset Prachyakorn is preparing to submit a motion to the Senate requesting the government to reconsider the Land Bridge project. He argues that the project is a large-scale undertaking with significant environmental impact. He points out that the government has repeatedly insisted on expediting the process, despite the incomplete Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) processes for both the Ranong and Chumphon ports. He believes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, is rushing the process excessively, especially since the EHIA processes are not yet complete. Furthermore, the EIA studies for the double-track railway and motorway are also still underway. Therefore, he fears that rushing the process could render the EIA and EHIA procedures mere formalities.

Mr. Noraset also addressed the social debate regarding the economic viability of the project. According to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) report, the project is not cost-effective. Furthermore, several shipping experts have predicted that the two ports, requiring the use of trains to transfer goods to the other port, may not attract any carriers. The Prime Minister's spokesperson countered this by suggesting incomplete information to the public. Mr. Noraset then questioned the government's failure to conduct a learning process and ensure public participation. He cited the Senate's Committee on Political Development, Public Participation, Human Rights, Freedoms, and Consumer Protection's refusal to disclose the EHIA report, despite it being a public document, to civil society. He argued that the government's excuse for this non-disclosure, citing violations of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), was the reason for this omission.

Mr. Noraset also questioned the progress of the Land Bridge project, asking if it was due to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Order No. 9/2016, which allowed for the acceleration of transportation infrastructure projects and enabled bidding to proceed in advance even while EIA and EHIA reports were still under consideration. He also asked if the government was rushing to expedite the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) bill, which grants the committee the authority to exempt several laws to speed up the Land Bridge process and also facilitates the fast-track EIA and EHIA processes. He therefore wanted to ask the government whether it was necessary to rush such a large-scale project, costing 1 trillion baht, with significant environmental impacts on southern Thailand, particularly the land reclamation in Ranong and Chumphon, and the blasting of mountains for the construction of motorways and railways in agricultural areas.